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By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY: The Municipality
of Lamitan in the Province of Basilan, once sieged by the extremist
Abu Sayyaf group, will soon become city before the May 14 elections.
This came as the Senate approved
on February 5, 2007 the cityhood of 12 towns in the country,
including Lamitan and three other municipalities in Mindanao.
House deputy speaker for Mindanao
Gerry Salapuddin, author of the cityhood of Lamitan, said he is
very confident that President Arroyo would be able to sign the bills
into law before the May polls.
”It will be a blessing to the
people of Lamitan and Basilan, generally. We have long wanted this
to happen,” said Salapuddin, who is serving his final term as
congressman.
Salapuddin, who also authored the
cityhood of Isabela town, is reportedly seeking for gubernatorial
post in Basilan under the ruling administration Lakas-Christian
Muslim Democrats-Kampi coalition.
If signed into law, Lamitan will
be the newly created city in the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) and the second city in Basilan Province next to
Isabela City.
But the country’s league of
city mayors is questioning the legality of the bills converting 12
towns into cities. The league is also petitioning the Comelec from
holding plebiscites.
The 12 towns include Lamitan,
Basilan; Batac, Ilocos Norte; Baybay, Leyte; Bayugan, Agusan del Sur;
Bogo, Cebu; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte;
Carcar, Cebu; Catbalogan, Samar; Tabuk, Kalinga; Tandag, Surigao del
Sur; and Tayabas, Quezon.
The city mayors believe that the
cities’ share from the internal revenue allotment (IRA) would get
smaller if the government would allow the conversion of 12
unqualified towns.
”That has always been their
(city mayors) position but they are not the law makers. We are the
lawmakers,” Salapuddin said.
”Why are they so selfish to
deny what is due to others?” Salapuddin asked. “Everyone
especially the depressed areas want also to be developed just like
them.”
He stressed the best way of
equitable sharing of the national wealth and income of the
government is by creating cities specifically those provinces
without cities yet.
”As I have always said there is
no better way of developing of countering rebellion and insurgency
in the countryside than economically uplifting it.”
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