3,000 gather in ‘show of unity’ vs Camarines Sur split

PILI, Camarines Sur—Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte Jr. made a pitch to reject his opponents’ move to create a new Camarines province by gathering a crowd of 3,000 supporters at the Camarines Sur Convention Center here on Tuesday.

The crowd included six mayors, at least 200 councilors and 2,000 barangay officials from Camarines Sur’s 35 towns and Iriga City.

By a vote of 229-1, the House of Representatives passed House Bill No. 4820 on Aug. 5, carving a new province to be named Nueva Camarines out of Camarines Sur.

If senators approve it and President Aquino signs it into law, a plebiscite will be called for residents of Camarines Sur to vote on the new province.

Under the bill, the proposed Nueva Camarines would be composed of the 10-town Partido (fourth district) and six-town, one-city Rinconada (fifth district) on the eastern seaboard of Camarines Sur.

Villafuerte Jr. declared HB 4820 as gerrymandering by its authors that include his estranged father Rep. Luis R. Villafuerte Sr. (third district).

While introducing his 22-year-old son Miguel to be his successor for the top post in the province, LRay slammed Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella (fourth district), a last-term congressman, for intending to create a new province to ensure his family’s grip on power.

The governor said the fourth district of Camarines Sur, or the Partido area, which has been dominated by the Fuentebellas for over a century has remained poor and underdeveloped.

Villafuerte Sr., a third-term congressman, has also announced his intention to run for governor in the 2013 elections, a move which will pit him against his grandson.