PB dared to take stand on the Sugbuak issue

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has dared the Provincial Board to take a stand on the proposed bills seeking to create three more provinces out of the existing province.

Although the governor yesterday said the Capitol legislators should be accorded the benefit of the doubt for deferring the passage of the proposed resolution that has sought PB's expression of "strong support" on the signature drive she launched to mount the strongest bid against the Sugbuak bills, she also pointed out the need for them to make up their minds now.

The governor further stressed the Cebuanos have long made up their minds regarding the issue as majority of them apparently do not want the province to subdivided so maybe the PB members should try listening to the Cebuanos if they are still confused.

"Dili ta mahimo nga kanunay na lang ta mamangka sa dalawang ilog and to forever stay in the gray. They said the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who just sit in the fence and do nothing. I hope they bring their air conditioners with them when they go to the hottest place in hell," she said.

In their regular session last Monday afternoon, some members of the PB expressed objection to the approval of PB member Victor Maambong's proposed resolution to support the signature campaign of the governor.

For one, member Jose Mari Gastardo explained he is supporting the creation of new provinces saying such a move is provided for in the 1991 Local Government Code and thus it is "not evil".

To this, the governor said such is an outdated justification because while the creation of new provinces is provided under the same law she had in the past also explained that pursuing the said bills will mean that the remaining province will no longer qualify with the 2,000-square-kilometer requirement to be a province.

"Has he read the entire Local Government Code? Let's hope that we just don't take things out of context and pick upon certain words, trim them together in order to justify an unjustifiable cause," she said.

She said outmoded justifications only show just how deaf and blind the PB members supporting the Sugbuak bills are to public opinion. - Cristina C. Birondo/BRP