Thursday, September 07, 2006
4 lawmakers stall floor vote on split-Cebu
CEBU CITY -- At least four of Cebu's eight congressional lawmakers are fighting to delay deliberations at the House of Representatives on the proposals to create three more provinces in Cebu.
The three bills were passed at the level of the House committee on rules last Tuesday, which means these are ready for plenary debate.
But Wednesday, Representative Antonio Cuenco revealed that the chairman of the committee on rules, Representative Prospero Nograles, has agreed to defer including the bills for plenary discussion.
Instead, the rules committee will wait for the House committee on local government to resolve the motion for reconsideration, filed after the latter committee passed the three bills.
Representatives Eduardo Gullas, Raul del Mar, and Ramon Durano VI wrote Congressman Nograles Wednesday to ask for the deferment or suspension of further action on the committee report, until all issues raised in the motion for reconsideration are addressed.
In an ABS-CBN interview, Cuenco announced that Nograles has agreed to defer further action on the committee report. In seeking the deferment, the Cebuano lawmakers were joined by Representative Jesus Crispin Remulla.
Cuenco has accused the committee on local government chairman, Negros Oriental Representative Emilio Macias, of railroading the passage of the bills because he has made this "a personal fight" against the Cebuanos.
Cuenco added that Macias wants to discuss the motion for reconsideration on September 13, when Cebuano congressmen will be busy with the 27th Asean Inter-Parliamentary Organization general assembly, which will be held in Cebu.
Cuenco described this as another strategy of Macias to railroad the bills.
But Macias questioned Cuenco's strong opposition to the bills, filed by Representatives Simeon Kintanar (for Cebu del Sur), Antonio Yapha (for Occidental Cebu) and Clavel Martinez (for Cebu del Norte).
"Cuenco is a representative of the city of Cebu, which is not part of the Province of Cebu," Macias said.
He added that he was just doing his job in bringing the committee report to the committee on rules, and that he had made sure "the deliberation was fair and just."
But for Representative Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (Cebu, 6th district), even if the bills are scheduled for plenary discussion, there won't be enough time to tackle these because there are other more important things, like the budget and constitutional amendments.
"I don't think there is really material time to discuss the Sugbuak bills unless they would want to pass it on a day when there is no quorum because nobody will mind it," Ruiz said.
She added that most House representatives from the Visayas and Mindanao do not agree with the plan to divide Cebu, but they signed the report of the committee on local government because they want the bills discussed at the plenary.
"Those who are not members of the committee on local government want to join the discussion at the plenary. There is still a chance that it will not be taken up in the plenary but if it is, I'm sure it will be a hard fight also," Ruiz said.
Nograles, in a dyLA interview, said he and House Speaker Jose de Venecia will be meeting with all the Cebuano lawmakers to discuss the bills. This will be done after the AIPO, which takes place from September 10 to 15. (MBG/Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(September 7, 2006 issue)
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