Lawmaker wants Santiago City
back under provincial supervision
The Manila Times 05/23/2005
By Florante Solmerin, Northern Luzon Bureau
SANTIAGO CITY: City officials here
questioned the intention of the neophyte congressman, Rep. Anthony
Miranda of the Fourth District, in filing House Bill 3709 seeking to
reverse some provisions of Republic Act 7720 which converted this
commercial town into an independent component city in 1994.
Showing unity against Miranda’s move, the city
council unanimously rejected the proposal to amend the law and
castigated the congressman as a “traitor” to the people of
Santiago City.
“The city council strongly denounces
Congressman Miranda because we believe his proposed bill amending
R.A. 7720 which made this business hub in the region an independent
component city is another politically motivated ploy to sow
confusion and economic sabotage against the city government and its
people,” said Mayor Amelita Navarro.
Less than six years ago, the Supreme Court
nullified a sand void the same House Bill approved by the Senate (R.A.
8528) due to the absence of a plebiscite. Then councilor
Miranda was among local officials who strongly opposed the
amendment.
Miranda’s bill returns the city under the
supervision of the provincial government in a supposed bid to
“enhance check and balance” because the province can review
decisions and actions made by the municipal government and allow
Santiago residents to vote for elective provincial positions.
Santiago City has the biggest chunk of votes in
the 37 towns of the province and has an annual internal-revenue
allotment of less than P450 million.
“Miranda wants to reverse the present status
of this city for several reasons. He is facing two separate cases of
corruption filed by the city government. Once the local government
unit of Santiago is under the auspices of the provincial government
he can easily cow his political allies there to absolve him from
these cases,” Navarro said.
In last year’s election, Miranda and Rep.
Edwin Uy of the Second District supported the candidacy of Gov.
Maria Gracia Cielo Padaca who won over former governor Faustino Dy
Jr.
Among other congressmen who signed the proposed
HB 3709 were Representatives Juan Miguel Arroyo of Pampanga, Rodolfo
Albano III of Isabela’s First District, Edwin Uy of the Second
District, Roilo Golez, Simeon Datumanong and Salacnib Baterina.
Rep. Faustino Dy III of the Third District, a
close political ally of Navarro, did not sign the final draft of the
bill and did not attend the May 11 meeting scheduled by the
House’s Committee on Local Government to deliberate on the bill.
The late congressman Rodolfo Abaya sponsored the
law converting Santiago into a city on May 5, 1994.
Santiago town was the first to be converted into
an independent component city in the Cagayan Valley region.
The municipalities of Cauayan, Isabela and Tuguegarao, Cagayan were
also converted into a component city in recent years.
