COMPOSTELA Valley - Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy is confident that renaming Compostela Valley province to Davao de Oro will improve the local economy.
In an interview Friday, May 31, 2019, during the turnover ceremony for two classrooms in Sitio Putting, Bato, Ngan, Compostela Valley, Uy lauded President Rodrigo Duterte for signing Republic Act (RA) 11297.
He was positive that the new name would attract more tourists and investments, spurring economic development.
“I’m pretty sure sa atoang lugar nga rich in natural resources ang tourismo mutaas pod ang atoang mga investment and opportunities sa ataong probinsya nga dugay na namo ginahangyo ug ginahulat and labi na naga-improve ang atoang peace and order. I’m confident nga makatabang gyud ni sa ekonomiya sa atong probinsya (Our province is rich in natural resources. It will boost tourism and investment opportunities and we hope that our peace and order will also improve)," he said.
He said he is scheduled to meet with Comelec Chairman Sheriff Abas on Monday to discuss the final date for the plebiscite on the province’s new name.
“This Monday, naa mi meeting with chairman Abas sa Davao City para mahibalo mo kung unsay plano nila ug unsa ang hitaboong plebisito. We are looking at August or September pinakadugay ipahigayon nato ang maong plebisito aron pakahukuman sa atong katawhan sa probinsya nato (We will meet with Chairman Abas in Davao City so you would know their plan and how the plebiscite will be conducted. We are looking at August or September for the plebiscite),” Uy said.
Representative Maria Carmen "Maricar" Zamora, sponsor of the Davao de Oro bill along with Representatives Pedro Acharon Jr. and Ruwel Peter Gonzaga, filed House Bill 7363 on May 15, 2018, while Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sonny Angara filed the Senate Bill 1746 last December 10, 2018.
The two bills were consolidated on January 29 into RA 11297, which Duterte signed into law on April 17, 2019. A copy of the law was made public on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
Uy urged the people of ComVal to participate and vote yes to the renaming of Compostela Valley.
“Medyo confident man ta sa akoang pagkonsulta, for the last two years, majority sa atong mga katawhan uyon pod sila. Ako lang ginahangyo pag-abot sa plebisito na manggawas ta ug mamalihog ta ninyo nga muboto, either yes or no lang na,” he added.
Among the provinces in Davao region, only Compostela Valley does not have "Davao" in its name. The other provinces are Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental.
Should the “yes” votes win during the plebiscite, Uy said the new name will eliminate confusion over which region the province belongs to.