Sugbuak and Congressman Macias

With the approval by the Macias committee of the Sugbuak bills the Cebuanos were alarmed. For months the issue hibernated in their minds. It was all quiet in the congressional front and many thought it was all over. Suddenly this development. Who would not feel threatened?

The perception of many anti-Sugbuak Cebuanos is that committee chairman Emilio Macias of Negros Oriental has been bias against them. First, there were claims that some of the requirements, such as a formal endorsement of the municipal legislatures concerned, have not been complied with. Then Macias has vehemently refused to conduct a public hearing in Cebu. True, Governor Gwen Garcia was allowed to present her side in last year's deliberation. But she was given only five minutes. How could you explore an issue in that very short time?

On the motion for reconsideration filed by Congressmen Gullas, Cuenco and Remulla, Macias said he could not do anything at all because the bills had already been transmitted to the committee on rules. "In the interest of justice and democratic processes, the vast majority of the members of the committee… ought to be given the opportunity to participate and be heard on their views on said bills", read the motion signed by 40 congressmen.

But Macias disregarded their appeal. Seven votes against 40? Where's the chairman's sense of fairness? Why the blatant attempt to railroad the bills? Why, by the way, is Macias trying to crucify the Cebuanos on the folly of some misguided lawmakers?

I know Congressman Macias personally. Way back in the late 70s when he was vice governor of Negros Oriental I was the officer-in-charge of the office of the schools superintendent. As such we worked closely together on Gov. Lorenzo Teves' many projects. Later when he became governor our collaboration became more regular. He was a no-nonsense leader. His medical centers in rural barangays stood out prominently among his pro-poor projects even as his locally constructed school buildings became models in sturdiness and economy. In youth development he was the champion. He built a state-of-the-art gymnasium with an electronic score board and an Olympic-size swimming pool with a diving facility, the only one in the Visayas and Mindanao. So great was his drive for sports that he bidded, along with Cebu City, to host the 1994 Palarong Pambansa. He was out-voted, unfortunately, but this had not dampened his enthusiasm for sports.

What had probably been dampened was his open-minded regard of Cebu's fast development into a hub of commerce and industry. Proof of this was that in the RDC meetings during his term as governor-member his favorite refrain was "imperial" Cebu. CVRP then was at the high tide of implementation and his unending complaint was why Cebu was getting the lion's share of the infrastructure money.

Perhaps because of this, abetted by his frustration at not getting the chance to host the Palaro because Cebu City edged him out of it, Macias has been allergic to anything Cebu. Perhaps too, all these years he has been waiting for a chance to get even with the Cebuanos, those upstart neighbors of his who have been the nemesis to his plans. This explains perhaps why some years back he initiated the move for Negros Oriental to secede from Central Visayas and become part of the Western Visayas. But this, however, did not materialize. Now in the 13th Congress the Negros Oriental former governor happens to be chairman of the local government committee. Coincidently, three Cebu lawmakers in the same Congress happen to have nightmares on the possibility of losing power and perks because they can no longer run for reelection. Is it any wonder that they concocted Sugbuak? Never mind if howls of protests would break loose back home. Never mind the lampoons in the media. Never mind everything - the future of Cebu included. With Macias behind them, who will not prevail?

We appeal to Macias' sense of fairness. He should remember that he is a public servant not only for his constituents but for all Filipinos, the Cebuanos included. Anything damaging to one ethnic group should therefore be tamped down, and anything beneficial should be upheld. For this threat to their oneness the Cebuanos are angry. But Macias and his Cebuano collaborators seem not to care. They seem to say: Your days are numbered, imperial Cebu! Chopped to pieces nothing would be left but your dismembered pride!

* * *

Email: [email protected]