New Mayors' League president installed

NAGA CITY (Feb 7, 2012) - The Camarines Sur chapter of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) has installed a new leader when 23 mayors of the province's 35 municipalities and 1 component city elected Minalabac Mayor Gil Basmayor president in a special election that effectively ousted incumbent LMP president, Buhi Mayor Rey Lacoste, on grounds of loss of confidence.

Caramoan town Mayor Constantino Cordial, Jr. was elected Executive Vice-president.

Local media critics say Lacoste's ouster stems from the on-going battle over the division of Camarines Sur into 2 provinces and consider the so called special election a "coup."

Lacoste is known to have joined Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymund Villafuerte in opposing the move to split the province - in direct confrontation with 4 out of the province's 5 congressmen who are pushing for the creation of the new province, Nueva Camarines, to be carved out of the mother province as contained in House Bill 4820.

Congressmen Arnulfo Fuentebella, Luis Villafuerte, Dato Arroyo and Rolando Andaya, Jr., are known to have joined forces in pushing for the passage of the said bill that is now pending at the Senate's Committee on Local Government.

Reportedly, 25 mayors of the province's 35 towns and 1 component city are already on board in support of the division of the province, which proponents expect shall be put up in a province-wide plebiscite in the second quarter of this year.

Lacoste said he got to know of the move to oust him as president of the LMP chapter during its regular meeting in Tinambac town when pro-division mayors successfully passed a resolution addressed to Senate Local Government Committee in support of the passage of HB 4820.

Lacoste claims said show of support violates a previous internal agreement among member Mayors that the Mayors' League shall stay neutral on the issue of the division of the province. (SONNY SALES)