EDITORIAL - Carving up Palawan

If bureaucratic fat could be trimmed, billions in tax money would be saved. The bloat is not just in appointive and regular posts, but also in elective positions. The barangay system needs to be revisited, and the Sangguniang Kabataan should be abolished.

Instead of trimming, however, elective seats keep expanding. The party-list, now a farce of what was intended in the Constitution, keeps growing every year, with representatives and parties that will never qualify under any description of “marginalized.” In many cases, taxpayers must foot the bill for the salaries and perks of not just one but several nominees of one party.

Not content with this, political dynasties, parties and special interest groups resort to gerrymandering, adding to the burden of taxpayers. The public wouldn’t mind if carving out more fiefdoms resulted in better services. More often, however, taxpayers simply end up with a higher bill for maintaining offices and staff for the officials of a new congressional district or province.

The latest province that is targeted for division is Palawan. Both chambers of Congress recently approved the creation of Palawan del Norte, Del Sur and Oriental. The move will have to be approved by residents of the province in a plebiscite in 2020.

President Duterte, who wants to cut red tape and promote efficiency in governance, should also want the judicious use of limited public funds. He can discourage gerrymandering among his allies in the House of Representatives, whose members are chronically concerned with personal interests.

There are cases that warrant the creation of new congressional districts and provinces. But this must be done with caution, and only after a thorough study. If government fat can be trimmed, the savings can eliminate the need to impose new taxes, including the onerous excise tax on fuel. There are many other better uses for limited government resources.