‘Growth-retarding’ idea

The status of Camarines Sur as an economic and tourism powerhouse could be nipped in the bud by an “unpopular, growth-retarding” congressional plan to split it into two provinces, local officials warned recently.

In separate resolutions, several local government unit associations warned policymakers, legislators and the general public that “any move to dislocate any of the districts or towns from the province” would impact negatively on the tourism industry and hamper the inflow of investments to CamSur.

According to its Sangguniang Panlalawigan or provincial council, CamSur has posted “extraordinary gains” not only in the field of tourism as a steady source of jobs and revenues, but also in other aspects of development, including agricultural production, healthcare, employment and governance.

Separately, the CamSur chapters of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), Philippine Councilors League (PCL) and Liga ng mga Barangay assailed the move of the House of Representatives to pass House Bill No. 4278 on the eve of Congress’ adjournment last month without the benefit of public consultation to gauge the sentiment of CamSur constituents on this issue.

Authored by Rep. Arnulfo Fuentebella, HB 4728 seeks to divide the province and carve a new one out of the fourth and fifth congressional districts, which will be called “Nueva Camarines.”

Because of this, Buhi Mayor and LMP chapter president Rey Lacoste; PCL chapter chief James Jaucian of the municipality of Libmanan, and Liga chapter head Domingo Briones of Barangay Tambo in Pamplona are urging the Senate to dump HB 4728 when the 15th Congress reopens later this month, so as not to derail CamSur’s growth experienced in recent years.

These local executives noted that from being a backwater province, CamSur is now the venue of choice for so-called “extreme sports” enthusiasts worldwide.

Millions of tourists, including internationally acclaimed triathletes, visit the province each year, particularly to the CamSur Watersports Complex (CWC) and Caramoan Island, the site of five international editions of the immensely popular reality TV show “Survivor.”

Main tourist destination

CamSur eclipsed Boracay Island as the country’s top tourist draw in 2010, reporting thrice the number of visitors (1,879,172) compared to the latter (607,537).

Data from the Department of Tourism’s research and statistics division show that CamSur has also overtaken Metro Manila and Cebu as the country’s main tourist destination in the last two years.

“This plan to carve a new province out of Camarines Sur is so unpopular among residents that its proponents in the House of Representatives had not even dared to hold a single public hearing in CamSur to discuss the issue, knowing that they would not be able to muster support for this hare-brained proposal,” Lacoste pointed out.

“We are appealing to our senators to rescue CamSur from this ill-conceived and highly partisan scheme by nipping it in the bud in the Senate when the 15th Congress reopens for its second legislative session,” he added.

“Keeping CamSur intact would ensure the continuity of the provincial government’s well-studied, carefully mapped out plan to sustain and even boost its current economic boom.”

Jaucian, in the meantime, explained that HB 4728 was unnecessary because an existing law—Republic Act No. 7820 or the Partido Development Act of 1994—already reflects the spirit and intent of the bill.

The existing law covers almost all the areas in the proposed Nueva Camarines, which would be carved out from the existing 4th and 5th districts of Camarines Sur.

This 17-year-old law, which set up the Partido Development Authority as a corporate entity supposedly overseeing the economic development of the Partido areas under its jurisdiction, has provided Partido with its own funding source and authority to enter into transactions independent from the provincial government.

The proposed Nueva Camarines will include the city of Iriga, the municipalities of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Bula, Nabua, Caramoan, Garchitorena, Goa, Lagonoy, Presentacion, Sagnay, San Jose, Siruma, Tigaon and Tinambac.

Only the towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato and Bula are not covered by the Partido area created under RA 7820.