City Council lashes Macias for Sugbuak

The Cebu City Council yesterday lashed at House committee on local government chair Emilio Macias II for repeatedly turning a deaf ear over pleas to conduct the public hearing in Cebu on the three bills seeking to create three more provinces out of Cebu.

"His posturing that there is no need for a public hearing to be held in Cebu on the basis of the flimsy cloth of legal technicality clearly smacks of arrogance, or I hope not, the affliction of voluntary ignorance of the mandate of his office," said Councilor Edgardo Labella in a privilege speech during the council's regular session yesterday.

While Cebu City is not part of the bills dividing the province, Labella insisted that a public hearing should be held in Cebu to find the real sentiments of the three million Cebuanos on the proposals.

Labella, chairman of the council committee on laws, ordinances, public accountability and good government, said that bypassing Cebuanos of the crucial participation on the plans to divide the province "is tantamount to robbing them off of their birthright as true-bloodied Cebuanos."

"It is really unfair and unjust for Congressman Macias II to say that there is no need for the Cebuanos to participate in the shaping of our future? As a lawmaker he is very much aware that he and his committee staff have come down to Cebu on several occasions to tackle less substantive matters, so to speak, in aid of legislation. Why the foot dragging now?" Labella pointed out.

According to Labella, a public hearing in Cebu on the proposed bills should have the participation of the local sectors.

Reps. Simeon Kintanar (second district), Antonio Yapha (third district) and Clavel Martinez (fourth district) have proposed to convert their respective districts into separate provinces.

Yapha filed a bill seeking to convert the third district into Cebu Occidental with Toledo City as capital. Martinez wanted the fourth district named the Cebu del Norte while Kintanar has sought for the creation of Cebu del Sur out of the second district.

The three, who are on their final terms, dismissed speculations that they wanted to be governors of the new provinces once their terms expire.

They argued that dividing the province into smaller provinces is more advantageous since the internal revenue allotment of Cebu will increase.

But Labella asked: "Is that for real? How can dismemberment or disengagement from the original province of Cebu infer developmental growth when the income, population and land area of prospective new provinces as well as the said original Cebu will be reduced?"

"Are we so blind to peek at the disheartening economic twists and turns plaguing our neighboring island, which apparently induced by treading the path of dismemberment," he added. - Garry B. Lao