The Partido, then, now, tomorrow

Praise releases about the good things that will come out of the creation of Nueva Camarines abound. These cite reasons why the Camarinenses should vote for the passage of HB 4820 in a plebiscite that would merge 10 towns of CamSur’s Districts 4 and six towns of the fifth district and one city into one province.

The 4th District is otherwise known as the Partido Development Administration (PDA) district, or Partido District, for short. Its creation was due to the passage in 1994 of the PDA Act authored by Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella. The success stories of Partido towns are pointed out.

For example, the towns of Caramoan, Sagnay, San Jose and Goa, said to be bustling towns in the “very progressive” 4th district, have great local and foreign tourism potential.

Sagnay, belonging to the Caramoan island group, has wonderful beaches, with hidden coves, white sands and majestic limestone formations.

Sagnay, San Jose and Goa pride themselves with 19th century churches that are said to entice religious devotees and history buffs.

The six other Partido towns falling in the fourth district, namely Tigaon, Lagonoy, Tinambac, Siruma, Garchitorena and Presentacion are said to offer quaint attractions still to be discovered by investors interested in mining or agriculture.

The district in the early 1990s was said to be a “sorry shell,” lacking major road networks, a modern water system, major schools and hospitals and an efficient telecommunication system. Most of the towns fell under the 5th and 6th classes, and poverty was widespread, despite the district, being part of a first-class province that is Camarines Sur.

Today, the Partido District “is a shining example of how vast change can improve the lives of people and how a formerly desolate district can become a tourism, economic and cultural boom area.”

The 299 barangays have been electrified, with grid solar and stand-by generator sets as power sources. By 2005, all of Partido’s towns have been interconnected through mobile telephone services; 20 cell sites through the Partido area are now operational, with Internet service providers also operating in the area. The Caramoan Peninsula’s “all-weather” road links the coastal municipalities of Presentacion, Garchitorena and Caramoan to the mainland municipalities. As of 2007, 107 national bridges and 42 provincial bridges have been built in the district.

The Partido State University, created through Fuentebella’s initiative, has produced 494 graduates from various degree and non-degree programs, and in 2008, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) cited the university as a top-performing school for its 100 percent passing rate in the sanitary engineering licensure examination and producing topnotchers.

All these developments are credited to the passage in 1994 of the PDA Act authored by Deputy Speaker Fuentebella. The PDA Act created the Partido Development Administration, an administrative body tasked to catalyze industry and commerce through the upgrading of human resources, enhancement of local government capability, construction of basic socio-economic infrastructure and operation of pioneering business ventures.

Spokespersons of the PDA note that under the Partido Master Plan, five hospitals will be built to add to the present hospitals and barangay health centers. But, to top it all, “the PDA municipalities have posted lower poverty incidence, with the highest decrease in poverty incidence being achieved by Tigaon, from 51.1 percent to 38.5 percent.”

The success of PDA programs is said to excite the populations of the 4th district — and the 5th district — about Fuentebella’s bill, HB 4820, which proposes to create a new province — Nueva Camarines — out of their districts. Co-authors of the bill are Reps. Luis Villafuerte of the 3rd district, and Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo, of the second district. The bill was overwhelmingly passed by the House of Representatives 229-1, and now awaits the approval of the Camarinenses in a plebiscite.

 The proponents of HB 4820, however, need to work hard to get the plebiscite in their favor. People opposing its approval deny the proponents’ claims the Partido’s being a model of good governance. They cite the poverty map of the National Statistical Coordinating Board (NSCB) showing that five of the 4th district’s towns are among the poorest in the province. It claims that a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) empowering the PDA to oversee mining activities in the Partido area violates various laws that vest such powers in the provincial, municipal or city governments of provinces where the mineral resources are to be explored or mined.

Also cited as minus points are the bill’s imposition of double taxation, and the cost of creating a new province amounting to P1.2, billion. Furthermore, a study supporting the finding of the Local Government Development Foundation and the German Foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiffung calls for consolidation, instead of fragmentation, of local governments due to the high cost of creating a new province.

HB 4820 has the popular support of CamSur mayors. But, critics ask; if the province has success stories to show, why split it to create a new province?

 Publicity attendant to the bill drew attention to an uneasy squabble between Third District Rep. Luis Villafuerte Sr., and his son, current CamSur Gov. Luis Raymond Villafuerte Jr. The father supports the split, and the son, who believes that his father, who is serving his last term in Congress, has teamed up with Fuentebella instead of having him as an opponent in the 2013 gubernatorial race. The young governor, according to a report, said, “The bill is a setback for the province as we have already made inroads and put CamSur on the international tourism map. The proposal to split the province is plain gerrymandering on Fuentebella’s part.”

The rift between the Villafuertes is said to have started when the younger Villafuerte fired from the municipal hall his father’s long time friend and trusted employee who died after being terminated from the office. The rift deepened when the elder Villafuerte fielded Eduardo Pilapil to run against his son during the 2007 elections, which the younger Villafuerte won.

Another report said HB 4820 supporters rebut the governor’s claim of the plebiscite’s defeat and points to his “highly questionable disbursements of taxpayers’ money.”

And so the squabble continues.

 The plebiscite will show if the Camarinenses want a new province.

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]