City Council to cite Cuenco's efforts for Sugbuak hearings in Cebu

The City Council is set to commend and support the efforts of Cebu City South District Rep. Antonio Cuenco, even futilely, in pushing the plea of the Cebuanos to the House committee on local government to hold a public hearing in Cebu about the Sugbuak Bills.

"The effort of Congressman Cuenco to place on the front end the people's just plea for a public hearing is undeniably laudable and bespeaks the character of a true-blooded Cebuano leader," said councilor Edgardo Labella, the proponent of the resolution.

While Cebu City is not part of the division of the Cebu province, Labella insisted that there is a need for a public hearing in Cebu to gauge the real sentiments and views of the three million Cebuanos on the contentious issue.

Labella said that bypassing such crucial participation in tackling bills of much import to the Cebuanos "is tantamount to robbing them of their birthright as true bloodied Cebuanos."

Reps. Simeon Kintanar (Cebu-2nd district), Antonio Yapha (Cebu-3rd) and Clavel Asas-Martinez (Cebu-4th) separately authored the three Bills creating the Cebu del Norte, Cebu del Sur, and Cebu Occidental provinces.

Cuenco raised the need to conduct a public hearing in Cebu on the matter, but committee chairman Rep. Emilio Macias II, of Negros Oriental, said such would not be necessary because a plebiscite would later be conducted anyway.

Last month, the council lashed at Macias for turning a deaf ear to the pleas of the Cebuanos, saying it "smacks of arrogance." The issue of the hearing venue might have been downed with the recent committee approval of the three Bills however.

Cuenco was the only Cebuano legislator who was able to vote against the Bills, together with Rep. Eduardo Zialcita, because Reps. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (Cebu-6th) and Ramon 'Red' Durano VI (Cebu-5th) were absent during the committee hearing.

Reps. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu-1st) and Raul del Mar (Cebu City-North) failed to attend the hearing because they attended the Committee on Justice hearing of the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Arroyo.

Aside from the bill proponents, the others who voted yes were Reps. Matoy Barinaga, Harlene Abayon, Eduardo Roquero, and Crispin Remulla. - Garry B. Lao