Lawmakers eye Samar Island Region creation

MANILA, Philippines — Five Visayan lawmakers joined an initiative of House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan for the creation of a new Samar Island Region – seen as key to unlocking the island’s long-stalled growth and development.

Libanan, in filing House Bill 4218, seeks to carve out Samar Island as a distinct administrative region, separating it from Eastern Visayas.

His initiative is co-authored by Reps. Christopher Sheen Gonzales (Eastern Samar), Stephen James Tan (Samar, First District), Reynolds Michael Tan (Samar, Second District), Niko Raul Daza (Northern Samar, First District) and Edwin Marino Ongchuan (Northern Samar, Second District).

“This is not just an administrative measure, this is a matter of justice. For centuries, Samar has been left behind despite its enormous potential. The Samar Island Region will finally allow Samar residents to oversee their own development, with government truly within reach of our people,” said Libanan, who represents the 4Ps party-list in the House of Representatives.

The country’s fourth-largest island, Samar is composed of the provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar (formerly Western Samar).

The lawmakers said that despite its rich natural resources, vast coastlines and proud history, Samar has suffered from neglect, with residents needing to travel to Tacloban City in neighboring Leyte to access basic national government services.

The bill’s authors stressed that establishing the Samar Island Region would bring the government closer to the people, enable faster delivery of services and provide the institutional focus needed to spur rapid infrastructure development, economic growth and jobs creation.

If enacted, the Samar Island Region will become the country’s 19th administrative region, bringing national government presence directly to Samar’s more than 1.9 million residents.