Split Camarines Sur move not yet law, governor reminds DBM

NAGA CITY—Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte asked the Department of Budget and Management to clarify a statement attributed to it saying there’s money to hold a plebiscite on a measure seeking to partition Camarines Sur, which isn’t a law yet and is pending in the Senate.

Villafuerte said he would formalize his request for clarification in a letter to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, who was quoted in a letter as saying there’s P70 million in funds available for the plebiscite should the measure seeking to split Camarines Sur into two provinces become a law.

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Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella, author of the proposed law and on his third and last term as legislator, has been trying to use Abad’s letter to push Senate approval of the measure, which would form a supposed Nueva Camarines composed mostly of towns in Fuentebella’s district.

The measure is still at the Senate committee on local government chaired by Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

No law yet

Villafuerte said he would ask DBM to clarify what it exactly meant in its letter that supposedly allows the Comelec to tap its P4.73-billion savings for 2011 to fund the plebiscite on dividing Camarines Sur.

He said he wondered why there’s so much talk now of funding for the plebiscite when there’s no  law dividing the province yet.

“We seriously doubt whether there is basis for allotting funds for a mere proposed measure that has yet to go a long way before it becomes law, if ever there is even enough time for Congress to approve it and for the President to sign it into law,” said Villafuerte.

“It is quite clear that what the DBM is just saying is that the Comelec can use a portion of its savings for the current year for the plebiscite,” said the governor.

“It did not say that the poll body can afford to or that it should,” he said.

Comelec resolution

Villafuerte pointed to Resolution No. 9374 of the Comelec saying that its current funds had been allotted for the national and local elections next year and not for any other exercise like recall elections, plebiscites or referendums.

The governor said he also could not understand why a plebiscite should be Comelec priority when there’s not even a law calling for one.

Villafuerte expressed doubt whether there would be enough time to hold the plebiscite as the Senate committee on local government still has to hold at least two more hearings, possibly one in the Senate and another in the province itself.

He said by next month, the Comelec would have more pressing matters to address, such as preparations for the 2013 elections and the automation issue.