2 CAMSUR Solons Support Province Partition

Naga City (June 14 2011) – Two Camarines Sur legislators have thrown their support behind House Bill (HB) 4028 that seeks to create a new province, Nueva Camarines, out of the 4th and 5th legislative districts of the province.

Congressman Luis R. VIllafuerte of the 3rd district and Congressman Dato M. Arroyo of the 2nd district have recently broken their silence on the issue and said that they favor the partitioning the province because it will result in progress of both the old and the new province.

Villafuerte and Arroyo have in fact listed themselves as co-authors of the bill that was filed by 4th district Congressman Noli Fuentebella, the original proponent of the province’s division.

According to Villafuerte, HB 4028 has already gotten the nod of the lower house on second reading and will like pass the final reading when congressional sessions resume in July.

There are amendments that Villafuerte has introduced as revisions to HB 4028, including the identification of properties that should be turned over to the new province to ensure fair and square and just sharing of resources when Camarines Sur is finally divided. Villafuerte supports the creation of a new Register of Deeds in the new province. He proposes that properties that are located in Partido (4th district) and Rinconada (5th district) shall be turned over to Nueva Camarines.

Existing Investments in areas that shall be included in the new province, like the Gota Resort in Caramoan, will be paid by the new province - otherwise they shall remain as properties of the old province.

Bank loans that were spent in Partido and Rinconada shall be paid by the new province being the beneficiary of the loan, according to Villafuerte. To the opponents of the partition proposal, Villafuerte has this to say: “We should remember that these two congressional district that will compose the Nueva Camarines have met the requirements of the Local Government Code of the Philippines in the creation of a new provinces and (whatever else) is a non- issue.”

Villafuerte also pointed out that sixty (60) provinces were created during the previous administrations and, contrary to the claims of the opponents of CAMSUR partition, these new province have become progressive.

Villafuerte anticipates that a province-wide plebiscite that shall decide the fate of the partition proposal may be held as early as next year because he predicts that the Senate will surely pass the said bill.