TOGETHER WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL...
Now that Quezon Province is to be divided upon the ratification of Republic Act 9495, otherwise known as "An Act Creating the Province of Quezon Del Sur" , through a plebiscite to be held on December 13, you should be wise enough to consider that this division will do no good to the de facto Quezon del Sur as has been thought of by many and will only be another burden for the mother province which will be called Quezon Del Norte upon the law's approval.
Here are some points I have gathered in my thorough search for the benefits and disadvantages to the concerned municipalities and cities if the law is approved or nullified:
PRO's
1. People from the south could benefit by "bringing the government" closer to the people, thus, making transactions in the far-flung areas of the south faster and more convinient for the persons concerned.
2. The municipalities in the south will be given the chance to progress as funds will be allocated equally among them.
3. The south will not be burdened for paying the debts made by the province for projects which the north is enjoying. [Equitable division]
4. A corrupt government official will not be enjoying more money from the funds alloted for a BIG province. This somewhat makes corruption untraceable. But if the division would be ratified, people from each province would expect to see projects from the provincial government minimizing, if not eradicating corruption.
CONS
1. Quezon Del Sur will share a percentage of the taxes gained from the two major powerplants located in the north, when in fact, it is stated in the Local Government Code of the Philippines that the rightful beneficiaries of the real property tax are the people who live in the locality where the firm is located. Much more, the law does not make it clear how this "sharing" would happen and who would facilitate such sharing.This only means that the south will become dependent of the resources the north should have been fully enjoying if the law is ratified.
2. The percentage of share that Sur will gain is unfit for the pollution the powerplants in the north is creating. The adverse ecological effects of these powerplants in the north is being felt by the south. So, it would be unfair if the south would receive only a percentage for the volume of pollution that exploits their resources. However, as I've said in number one, if the province would be divided, this "sharing" is against the local government code of the Philippines.
3. Competition in terms of foreign investors and other developmental resources would inevitably be the outcome of this division. Investors would prefer to put their money somewhere where their growth of wealth is certain. In this case, if I am an investor, I would prefer investing my money to highly urbnized places where opportunities for more profits balloon. Majority of the highly urbanized places in the province are in the north. The south would eventually be the loser in the competition. If we go against the division of the province, the taxes and other benefits that can be gained from these foreign investments can also be shared to other places hassle-free.
4. 50% of the funds that will be allocated to the south will only go to the pockets of the government officials duly appointed or elected in their seats as their salary. Half will only go to the said development plans for the municipalities of the south. If the province would remain as it is, that 50% percent of the funds wouldn't just be wasted for officials whom we're unsure whether they really perform the duties entrusted to them.
5. Billions of pesos will have to be spent for the construction of a new Capitol Building and other provincial offices which could have been spent to projects similar to the purpose the law is suggesting.
6. Gumaca, a municipality in the south suggested to be the capital of the proposed province, is not very far from the City of Lucena, the capital of the mother province. Lucena City's location is much more ideal for the whole province as it is at the center of Quezon. The same municipality, as mentioned by Sonny Pulgar in his blog posted below, which have been governed by the same influential family, haven't even improved much in the last decade.
7. Taxes would have to be raised higher than normal in the south to support their new government. What would you expect from a poverty-stricken province? It would only make lives drastically miserable for the poor.
8. The proposed Quezon Del Sur have no medical, scientific, educational and entrepreneural establishments which could support the development they aim. All of which are in the north, which, therefore would only intensify the fact of the proposed province's dependence in the north. It would, however count years for such to rise and what would happen is that people will only suffer until such time that these necessities are provided.
9. The law is misleading as it only states the creation of Quezon Del Sur in it's title when in fact, guidelines in the creation of laws in the Philippines state that one law should only have one intent. In the case of RA 9495, it not only would create Quezon Del Sur but it would also create Quezon Del Norte which is entirely different from the name of the mother province which is Quezon. This is the reason why a number of petitions have been forwarded to the Supreme Court pleading for the declaration of RA 9495 unconstitutional. [see http://www.scribd.com/doc/8015688/Supreme-Court-Petition-versus-RA-9495?autodown=doc]
I WONDER WHY they only sought for the division as the main solution to the poverty felt in the south.
I WONDER WHY the south is at the verge of poverty when there are duly elected officials who should have been looking after the development of their area.
I WONDER WHY they say that communication and technological facilities are very scarce in the south that's why it's difficult to transact problems that need to be brought up to the capital when the duly elected officials should have set these to their primary agenda if they see them as the main problem why it's difficult to contact the capital to stage their requests.
I WONDER WHY there had been no developments, as they claim, has happened in the south when some of the provincial government officials came from the south. Would there be any difference if we divide the province into two?
I WONDER WHY duly elected government officials in the provincial down to the lowest political unit hold caucuses and meetings to discuss about their view on the matter then afterwards ask for someone who is strong enough to oppose him to come on the stage because he would slap him on the face.
I WONDER WHY duly elected government officials in the provincial down to the lowest political unit hold caucuses and meetings to discuss about their view on the matter then afterwards give them "an early christmas aguinaldo" if they vow to vote for the same side such official is campaigning.
Well, as for me, these are my opinions taken from facts I have gathered so far from the two opposing views. A YES or a NO could make a large difference not only for the province but for your future children as well. Make sure to weigh both sides before you decide.
Below is a blogpost of Sonny Pulgar discussing why you should vote no in the plebicite. In the same way, here is a link discussing the necesity of creating Quezon del Sur: http://erintanada.wordpress.com/quezon-del-sur-ra-9495-mga-tanong-at-sagot/
IMPLICATION OF DIVISION
Now that the bill cutting Quezon has finally become a law (GMA failed to sign it within the reglamentary period), we are now faced with the last hurdle of its implementation: the plebiscite. Once the people blindly vote for the division, we perpetually lose the physical, cultural, and psychological connect with the rest of Quezon. We lose the crown jewels including the head that adorns them.
Truth to tell, the proponents of this law failed to exert the minimum effort of notifying the sizeable sectors of the province. What was heard for the most part was the upside for the division. Nothing was heard for the downside. The proponent, while the bill was being railroaded in the Committee, was busy imagining the short haul political benefit for him and his family. What was heard was the litany of motherhood exhortations that the South must stand by its own feet, rely and develop its own resources, and enjoy the magnanimity of the Central government by way of the Internal Revenue Allotment. How about the local sources of revenue?
What can we boast in the South as its crown jewels?
Gumaca, with its century old water problem, is a transient town. It is the site of commercial banks and government agencies in the area. Despite the reign of an old political family there, nothing was done in the development of Gumaca, touted to be the Capital of Quezon del Sur. Its water system is the worst in the province. There was even an ordinance that proscribes taking care of pigeons. The reason is obvious. Doves with their droppings dirty the roofs that collect rain water! While Hondagua in Lopez is host to the Puyat Philippine Flour Mills, it has for the last twenty years operating in reduced capacity. PFM pays minuscule property tax to Lopez and provides employment to about 200 natives of the town. Catanauan in the Bondoc remains sleepy thanks to its sleepy and corrupt leadership.
Moreover, the proponent failed to see that the half of the IRA is for salaries and wages of a new bureaucracy for the new province. Assuming that one half of the P900M IRA goes to the South, or P450M, P225M of it goes to employees’ pay. Its 20% development fund is pegged at P90M or P45M for each district. We lose our availments from the RPT from the crown jewels, estimated at P1.25B annually, not to mention priority in landing a job where employment opportunities loom in the North. Why should we rely on the palliative Countrywide Development Fund of the Congressmen when we know that 50% of it goes where it shouldn’t go? Someone is looking at the multimillion peso budget for the construction of the new South Capitol Complex housing the new center for the newly minted province.
Most of us found ourselves holding a fait accompli for a law.
The act of division shall do injustice to
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