Creation of Quezon del Sur province opposed

MANILA, Philippines - A group of private citizens from Quezon province on Monday asked the Supreme Court to stop the government from implementing a newly-enacted legislation splitting the province of Quezon into two. In their 40-page petition, the group called Save Quezon Province Movement asked SC to restrain the conduct of a plebiscite on December 13 for the ratification Republic Act 9495, which seeks the creation of Quezon del Sur province. The group, led by lawyer Frumencio Pulgar and Hobart Deveza Dator Jr, likewise questioned the Commission on Elections’ Resolutions Nos. 8533, 8534, 8535, 8537, 8538 and 8539, all dated November 12, 2008 implementing the creation of the new province. Named respondents in the suit were Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, the secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and the Comelec. RA 9495 calls for the creation of Quezon Del Sur to be composed of the Municipalities of Agdangan, Buenavista, Catanauan, General Luna, Macalelon, Mulanay,Padre Burgos, Pitogo, San Andres, San Francisco, San Narciso,Unisan, Alabat, Atimonan, Calauag, Guinyangan, Gumaca, Lopez, Perez , Plaridel, Quezon and Tagkawayan, Also under this legislation, the remaining portions of the mother province of Quezon will be known as Quezon del Norte which shall be composed of the Municipalities of Burdeos, General Nakar, Infanta, Jomalig, Lucban, Mauban, Pagbilao, Panulukan, Patnanungan, Polilio, Real, Sampaloc, Candelaria, Dolores, San Antonio, Sariaya, Tiaong and the Cities of Lucena and Tayabas. The petitioners also want SC to declare RA 9495 unconstitutional, saying no sufficient standard was laid down for the powers that the interim appointees may exercise. They also claim that the law does not comply with RA 7160 of the Local Government Code and is said to be “violative of the constitutional precept that no more than one subject shall embrace a statute as the law creates another local government unit.” The group said the law not only created a province but also renamed Quezon province as Quezon del Norte, as well as illegally devised an exception to the requirement in the assessment, exaction and collection of real property taxes. “In the case at bar, the people of Quezon Province are kept in the dark by the title of the defective law. Technically, two provinces are created by RA 9495. Quezon del Sur can exist independently with Quezon province, being the mother province thereof. Yet, the law went out of bounds by creating another entirely new province, Quezon del Norte, with new technical boundaries yet retaining the old capital of Lucena City. Quezon del Norte whichever one looks at it is not Quezon Province,” the petitioners said. - GMANews.TV