Vice govs oppose bill splitting CamSur

MANILA, Philippines - The League of Vice Governors of the Philippines (LVGP) has joined the snowballing opposition to a bill approved by the House of Representatives, seeking to divide Camarines Sur into two provinces.

During its meeting in Zamboanga del Norte recently, LVGP issued Resolution No. 03-2011 saying House Bill No. 4820 would further pare the already shrinking Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share of all local government units (LGUs) and lead to double taxation.

The LVGP urged all Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial legislative boards of the country’s 80 provinces to pass their own resolutions opposing the measure.

Under the proposal, a new province to be called Nueva Camarines, will be created out of Iriga City and the 16 municipalities in province’s fourth and fifth legislative districts.

The vice governors also asked the Senate to “set aside” the proposed measure, saying its appeal was in sync with the study done by the Local Government Development Foundation and the Berlin-based Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation that aside from “distorting” the IRA sharing formula, any LGU fragmentation would “aggravate further the already substandard quality of services” delivered by local governments and would force the national government to spend so much just to create and maintain a new LGU.

LVGP national president Cagayan Vice Gov. Leonides Fausto, and secretary-general Masbate Vice Gov. Vicente Homer Revil signed the resolution. The other national executive officers of the LVGP are Vice Govs. Maria Mimietta Bagulaya (Leyte), chairperson; Victorio Suaybaguio Jr. (Davao del Norte), executive vice president; Mario Gene Mendoza (Occidental Mindoro), vice president for Luzon; Miguel Maamo III (Southern Leyte), vice president for the Visayas; Leo Lasacar (Camiguin), vice president for Mindanao; Gabrielle Calizo Quimpo (Aklan), treasurer; Cresencio Pacalso (Benguet), auditor; and Jose Antonio Leviste II (Batangas), public relations officer.

Camarines Sur’s Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved a resolution opposing the split last February, and another one urging the Senate to shelve HB 4820, last week.

“LVGP opines that the proposal to create a province such as the Nueva Camarines at this time is untimely since the internal revenue shares of the local government units for 2012 and 2013 will certainly decrease due to lower collection of internal revenue for 2009 and 2010,” the resolution said.

“The reduction of our IRA shares for 2012 and 2013 and the further reduction by P2,367,732.82 from Equal Sharing due to the additional province like Nueva Camarines would greatly affect the delivery of basic services in our respective LGUs,” it added.

The vice governors said some HB 4820 provisions are also “not in accordance” with Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, because “the proposed new province of Nueva Camarines will have the same taxing powers as that of the municipalities under the same.”