NAGA CITY—A move seeking to carve out a new province from Camarines Sur has again brought Camarines Sur’s third district Rep. Luis R. Villafuerte Sr. and his son, Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr., on a collision course.
The elder Villafuerte is pushing for approval of House Bill No. 4728 that will name the new province as “Nueva Camarines” but his son is opposing the move.
Father and son have been on different sides of the political fence since the 2007 elections when the elder Villafuerte fielded a candidate against his son for the top post in the province.
Authored by fourth district Rep. Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella, the bill creating a new province is coauthored by Villafuerte Sr. and second district Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo.
The proposed new province will combine the 10-town fourth district and the six-town and one-city fifth district of the 35-town and two-city Camarines Sur province.
HB 4728 seeks to declare as part of “Nueva Camarines,” the towns of Caramoan, Garchitorena, Lagonoy, Presentacion, San Jose, Siruma, Tinambac, Goa, Tigaon and Sangay of the fourth district and the towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Bula, Buhi, Nabua and Iriga City of the fifth district.
Villafuerte Sr. said the measure is gaining support. He said he expects the bill to be brought to plenary debate in July.
Villafuerte Sr., who declared he will return as governor in 2013, said Camarines Sur has become too big to manage.
His son, however, said there was no need to divide the province. “There is no clamor from our people. There is no support. There is no urgency and certainly no necessity,” said the younger Villafuerte.
He said the move to divide Camarine Sur would delay development that he has set into motion, citing as example the emergence of Caramoan town as a tourist destination.
Existing law
The governor said if the intention was really to bring development, a law that created the Partido Development Administration would be the answer.
Partido is the name given to the fourth district of Camarines Sur which is composed of 10 towns and is believed to be the political stronghold of the Fuentebella clan.
Bicol historian Danilo Gerona said Camarines province has been partitioned and rejoined several times during the Spanish period until 1919 when it was separated by virtue of a law that created Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte.
The father-and-son Villafuerte have fought several times in the past over various issues. The latest was in the last presidential elections when the two supported different candidates for president.