CATBALOGAN, Samar –
Officials of Samar’s capital enjoyed a hero’s welcome on Thursday after
coming home with the document approved by Congress that will led to
the granting of the town a city status should the town residents
approve it in a referendum.
The town was in a
festive mood Thursday afternoon as Catbaloganons came out of their
homes to watch the motorcade welcoming Mayor Coefredo Uy, together
with Vice Mayor Van Torrevillas and Councilor Art Gabon who just came
from Manila to secure the approved House Bill 5998 seeking the
conversion of Catbalogan to a component city and exempting the same
from Republic Act 9009.
Republic Act 9009
barred Catbalogan and two other cities in the Eastern Visayas namely;
Borongan in Eastern Samar and Baybay in Leyte from being granted city
status as it sets higher income requirement for towns who will file
application for cityhood from the previous P20 million to P100
million.
But with the help of
some congressmen in the region, the three Eastern Visayan towns,
together with 9 other towns in the country, were granted exemption
from the said law since they filed their applications before it was
being approved.
To recall, the town’s
cityhood bid was first revived during the incumbency of the then town
Mayor Jesus B. Redaja in late 1990s through House Bill 6346 filed by
the then Congressman Eduardo B. Nachura but the deliberation for the
approval of the bill was overtaken by the impeachment fever that
eventually toppled President Joseph Estrada from power in 2001.
It was refiled in the
13th Congress, however, through House Bill 2088 sponsored by
Congressman Catalino Figueroa seeking for exemption from RA 9009. It
enjoyed the support of Eastern Samar lone District Congressman
Marcelino Libanan and Leyte 5th District Congresswoman Carmen Cari.
In a speech before the
welcoming crowd at the town plaza yesterday, Mayor Uy acknowledged the
support of these officials along with Senators Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.,
Franklin Drilon and Alfredo Lim who, he said, were instrumental in the
approval of HB 5998.
He likewise thanked
Torrevillas and Gabon who have been lobbying hard for the approval of
the town’s cityhood application even during the filing of the first
bill in the 11th Congress.
The mayor then urged
the people to support it in a referendum but he expressed uncertainty
if it can be included in this May’s elections for lack of material
time.
Vice Mayor Torrevillas,
meanwhile, recalled that the task assigned to them was very hard but
it paid off when the bill was approved by Senate in the 3rd and final
reading last February 5.
