Quezon split sponsors optimistic in 2nd try

LUCENA CITY—Proponents of the renewed bid to separate Quezon province into two political units were optimistic the planned division of Quezon into two political units—Quezon del Sur and Quezon del Norte—would be approved by the people in their second try.

“We’re now quite optimistic that once the bill is passed and submitted to Quezon residents in a plebiscite, it will finally be approved by the people,” House Deputy Speaker Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III (fourth district), said in a phone interview Friday.

He said to ensure victory in the plebiscite, extra effort must be given to information dissemination to fully explain to the population the benefits of having two separate political units.

Tañada said the bill has been re-filed but the committee hearing has yet to begin.

The solon said he and the other proponents—Representatives Danilo Suarez (third district) and Irvin Alcala (second district)—were just preparing the required data on the province’s income, population and land area in preparation for the committee hearing.

Same process

He said Rep. Mark Enverga (first district) did not sponsor the re-filed bill.

Tañada said the bill would go through the same process in both chambers of Congress before the plebiscite is held among the people to approve or reject the measure.

The first proposal to separate Quezon under Republic Act No. 9495 was defeated in the first plebiscite held in December 2008.

Under the defeated bill, 17 towns in the first and second districts of the province will be known as Quezon del Norte and Lucena City will remain the capital.

Quezon del Sur will be composed of 22 towns in the third and fourth districts with Gumaca town as the capital.

Rejection

In the plebiscite, voters from the province’s third and fourth districts approved the creation of Quezon del Sur.

However, the ‘No’ votes from the province’s first and second districts was more than the ‘Yes’ lead in the Bondoc Peninsula (third district) and Lamon Bay (fourth district) areas.

The opposition received a total of 205,265 ‘No’ votes, while those in favor only posted 157,457 ‘Yes’ votes, or a difference of 47,808 votes.

Quezon has around 900,000 voters, but the Commission on Elections said only around one third of the voting population joined the plebiscite.