Political patriarchs show force for new Camarines

CALABANGA, Camarines Sur—Two political patriarchs of Camarines Sur revved up their machinery on Saturday to campaign for the carving out of “Nueva Camarines” from the province as spelled out in House Bill No. 4820, a measure that won approval, 229-1, in the House on Aug. 5.

Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella, patriarch of the Fuentebella clan in the fourth district of the province, and Rep. Luis R. Villafuerte Sr., patriarch of the Villafuerte clan in the third district, gathered 22 mayors and 12 vice mayors and councilors of the 35-town, two-city province.

“If you are here, you are with us. Some mayors are negotiating to be part of us but we are still studying the matter,” Villafuerte Sr. told the crowd of some 200 town officials who clapped in approval.

His son, Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte was opposing the move to split Camarines Sur.

The gathering was held at the LRV Agro-Industrial Farm in Calabanga town, some 30 kilometers away from the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) where Villafuerte Jr. was hosting the third international triathlon event Ironman 70.3.

All the four congressmen of the five congressional districts in the province sent their wards to support the first gathering that united the province’s big guns in politics.

The congressmen included second district Rep. Diosdado Arroyo, who skipped the gathering because of his mother’s health situation, and first district Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., who was out of the country.

Villafuerte Sr., Fuentebella and son Arnie Fuentebella, mayor of Tigaon town, explained the arguments favoring the split of the province.

Also present was Arnie’s wife Evelyn, mayor of Sagñay town, which along with Tigaon town, comprise the 10-town fourth district.

Also present to lend support was Iriga City Mayor Madelaine Alfelor-Gazmin, of the Alfelor clan in the fifth district, the other congressional district to be fused with the fourth district to form the 16-town and one-city “Nueva Camarines.”

HB 4820 combines and carves out from the present Camarines Sur the fourth district towns of Caramoan, Garchitorena, Lagonoy, Presentacion, San Jose, Siruma, Tinambac, Goa, Tigaon and Sagñay and the fifth district towns of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Bula, Buhi, Nabua and Iriga City.

Villafuerte Sr. said that with 129 congressmen approving HB 4820 and only one, fifth district Rep. Salvio Fortuno, opposing it, the holding of a plebiscite was inevitable.

In a powerpoint presentation, Arnie showed that HB 4820 complied with the legal requirements for a new province under the Local Government Code of 1991.

These requirements were: An average income of not less than P20 million, population of not less than 250,000 and land area of not less than 2,000 square kilometers.

Arnie said the division would maintain the first-class classification of both Camarines Sur and Nueva Camarines.

When divided, the mother province of Camarines Sur, with a population of 892,203, would have an average annual income of P283.48 million while Nueva Camarines, with a population of 801,618, would have an income of P223.4 million, he added.

Both provinces exceeded the 2,000 sq km land area requirement at 2,531.60 sq km for Camarines Sur and 2,970 sq km for Nueva Caceres, he said.

Arnie cited historical data showing the Bicol province was divided into two in 1574: Partido de Ibalon, which was composed of Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate and Catanduanes, and Partido de Camarines.

In 1829, he said, Partido de Camarines was partitioned into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, before it was briefly merged to become Ambos Camarines, from 1854 to 1857.

Ambos Camarines was again divided into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur on March 19, 1919 by a decree of the first Philippine Legislature.