Radaza wants separate province for Mactan
By Rebelander S. Basilan
Saturday, May 18, 2013

NEWLY elected Rep. Aileen Radaza (Lapu-Lapu City, lone district) announced she will file a bill creating Mactan Province, saying this will hasten economic growth in the island.

But defeated Lapu-Lapu City mayoralty candidate Efrain Pelaez Jr. criticized the plan, saying the move is meant to perpetuate the Radazas in power.

The businessman, who lost to incumbent Mayor Paz Radaza, said Cebuanos will oppose the plan. “Cebuanos will reject another Sugbuak attempt,” he said in a statement.

Aileen said the proposed Mactan Province will be composed of a component city and two municipalities.

Lapu-Lapu City will be reverted from a highly-urbanized city to a component city, while Olango Island, with its 11 barangays, will be upgraded into a municipality.

Towns

The bill will also create the municipality of Opon, which will comprise Barangays Suba-basbas, Marigondon, Agus, Maribago, Pajac and Bankal.

As a component city, Lapu-Lapu will be composed of Barangays Pusok, Ibo, Buaya, Mactan, Punta Engaño, Pajo, Poblacion, Looc, Gun-ob, Basak, Calawisan, Canjulao and Babag.

Aileen said the creation of Mactan Province will increase the income the local government units as they will each receive Internal Revenue Allotments.

“The creation of the Province of Mactan is designed to allow the accelerated and complementary growth of the different barangays,” she said in her victory speech last May 15.

But Pelaez, who is chairperson of the Liberal Party in Lapu-Lapu and founder of the Mactan Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said making Mactan a separate province will open up “wider sources of corruption” for officials.

Charges

“Province-hood is not the solution to the woes—the cancer—of Lapu-Lapu City. It needs transparent governance, effective management and passionate leadership,” he said.

A week before the May 13 polls, Pelaez filed plunder charges against incumbent Rep. Arturo Radaza and Mayor Radaza for allegedly paying “ghost employees.”

Pelaez, who filed the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas, alleged that about P500 million have been paid to “ghost employees” since 2001.

He presented as evidence a report from the PNP Crime Laboratory stating that the signatures of employees on the City Hall’s payroll were executed by only a few persons.

Mayor Radaza has denied the allegations, saying the City’s funds are judiciously spent. She cited several projects, such as the construction of two-story buildings for four government offices and the cash assistance to senior citizens.

Protest

In Mandaue City, the final tally of votes showed incumbent Mayor Jonas Cortes winning by more than 70,000 votes, but lawyer and former councilor Victor Biaño will not concede defeat.

Biaño said he will file an election protest and ask for a recount of the votes.

Cortes, who garnered 98,972 votes against Biaño’s 27,992, was proclaimed winner a day after the elections.

Vice Mayor Glen Bercede and all incumbent councilors were also reelected.

Biaño said the votes he received in many precincts ranged from 170 to 179 while Cortes got more than 500 votes. “The results were almost uniform. It’s statistically impossible,” he said.

He said he will file a petition for recount before May 24, or within 10 days from the proclamation of winning candidates.

Support

He said he could not believe he lost, as he was sure of the support of the vendors, tricycle drivers and urban poor settlers. “He (Cortes) doesn’t have the mandate of the people,” he said.

In an earlier interview, Cortes urged the losing candidates to cooperate with the City officials. “Let bygones be bygones,” he said.

Cortes said he will continue to build more classrooms and roads during his third and last term. He will also build a new City Hall that will house all 36 departments of the City Government.

The City plans to construct a high-rise City Hall in the site of the old public market. The existing City Hall building, also known as the Presidencia, will be turned into a museum.

Rep. Aileen Radaza wants separate province for Mactan | Sun.Star