Capitol: Anti-Sugbuak campaign to continue

The anti-Sugbuak bills signature campaign has to continue despite apprehensions that this will no longer be acted due to the impending elections next year.

This was disclosed yesterday by Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez, Jr. who is strongly in tandem with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in the signature drive against the House bills that seek to divide Cebu into four provinces.

Sanchez explained that the signature campaign would show the sentiments of the Cebuanos on the proposed division of Cebu.

As of yesterday, the office of the governor reported at least 411,482 signatures gathered since the campaign started last month.

Further, Sanchez said that "even if there is lack of material time to act on the bills in Congress, there is need to be very alert that these bills be acted in accordance with the law."

He added that the proponents of the bills are "exercising in futility if they insist on discussing it before the plenary when they know in fact that the process is still very long."

The Sugbuak issue will surely be a political issue in next year's elections, according to Sanchez. He pointed out that if the proponent legislators will still win, this means that their constituents are in favor of the bills.

But Reps. Simeon Kintanar (2nd district), Antonio Yapha, Jr. (3rd district) and Clavel Asas-Martinez (4th district) who proposed that their districts be converted into Cebu del Sur, Cebu Occidental and Cebu del Norte, respectively, can no longer seek reelections.

The bills are still in the House committee on local government due to pending motion for reconsideration of its approval filed by Cebuano congressmen who are against the proposals, although there was already a transmittal to the House committee on rules for scheduling in the calendar of business.

There are some observations that even if the House of Representatives will approve the Sugbuak bills, there is no more time for the Senate to act on them.

Congress will soon adjourn for about three weeks and when it resumes, there will be no more time to tackle the Sugbuak bills, except for those urgent bills before it adjourns again for Christmas and the yearend holidays.

After the holidays, everyone will be getting ready for the elections. - Gregg M. Rubio