Senate urged to junk bill splitting CamSur

MANILA, Philippines - Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. yesterday urged the Senate to junk House Bill 4728 calling for the division of his province into two, saying the measure is highly unpopular, divisive and retrogressive.

Villafuerte issued the statement following the passage of HB 4728, which he said would not be in consonance with the popular will and interests of his constituents.

“It will derail CamSur’s progress and development in eco-tourism, sports and other vital community concerns. Our people will totally reject it,” he said.

“The pulse of the people on the ground is unmistakably clear: the measure is highly unpopular, divisive and retrogressive,” he said.

Villafuerte said the Senate has a history of statesmanship on issues like this. “It (Senate) will not yield to partisan and narrow interests. It will always uphold the will of the people in pursuit of the common good,” he said.

Villafuerte and Camarines Sur Rep. Salvio Fortuno, who cast the lone dissenting vote on HB 4728, argued that splitting the province would “impede the delivery of quality social services, spawn new taxes and mass layoffs, and economically weaken” Camarines Sur and the new Nueva Camarines in three to five years after the latter’s creation.

Contrary to standard practice, Villafuerte said public hearings on HB 4728 were not held in Camarines Sur but in Quezon City.

“Why? Because the proponents know that had they held them in Camarines Sur, the result would be a resounding no. The hearings, in effect, were mock hearings calculated to deceive the public,” he said.

Villafuerte recalled that Quezon province underwent the same experience years ago. But in a plebiscite, the people totally rejected the partition of the province.

“This will come to pass, too, in Camarines Sur,” he said.