COTABATO CITY -- A proposal to divide the province of Maguindanao into two has been approved by the House Committee on Local Government, a Maguindanaon lawmaker said Wednesday.
The committee approved the bill on the “Creation of two provinces of Maguindanao,” which is a consolidation of two earlier House bills, namely the Western Maguindanao Province House Bill 4840 of Maguindanao 1st District Rep. Datu Roonie Q. Sinsuat Sr. and Southern Maguindanao Province House Bill 3405 of Maguindanao 2nd District Rep. Esmael G. Mangudadatu.
“I would like to make it clear that the House of Representative approval on Tuesday for the division of Maguindanao is yet on the committee level,” he said over radio dxMY here Wednesday.
Sinsuat said deliberations on the proposal began on Jan. 28, but asked the committee for a postponement so he and Mangudadatu could settle minor differences into their separate bills.
“For the next two weeks we had enough time to consolidate our bills,” Sinsuat said.
Mangudadatu said the proposal to divide the province has yet to pass the plenary for the committee report, followed by interpolation and debates on the proposition.
“What is important is that we have arrived at a unanimous decision at the committee level to dive the province for faster development,” Mangudadatu said in a separate interview by the Philippine News Agency here.
Under the proposal, the province, which has 36 towns, would be divided into Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.
Maguindanao del Norte would include 11 towns, mostly in the province’s first district that includes Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Blah Sinsuat, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, Upi, Kabuntalan Mother, Northern Kabuntalan, Parang, Buldon, Matanog and Barira.
Datu Odin Sinsuat town is the proposed capital of Maguindanao del Norte.
On the other hand, Maguindanao del Sur would comprise the towns of Municipalities of Pagalunga, Buluan, Sultan sa Barongis, Shariff Aguak, Talayan, South Upi, Datu Piang, Datu Paglas, Ampatuan, Libutan, General Salipada K. Pendatun, Mamasapano, Sultan Sumagka, Datu Montawal, Paglat, Guindulungan, Datu Saudi-Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Rajah Buayan, Pandag, Mangudadatu, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
Maguindanao del Sur’s capital is in Buluan town.
In the proposed law it stated "Any municipality that may hereafter be created within the jurisdiction of their provinces shall automatically form part of its constituent units."
Section 7 of the proposed law stated "The province of Northern Maguindanao shall have its own legislative district in the next national and local elections after the effectivity of this Charter. Henceforth, the municipalities of Barira, Buldon, Matanog, Parang, Sultan Kudarat and Sultan Mastura shall comprise the 1st Legislative District of the Province of Northern Maguindanao while the municipalities of Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Northern Kabuntalan and Upi shall comprise the 2nd Legislative District of the Province of Northern Maguindanao and the municipalities of Ampatuan, Buluan, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Datu Montawal, Datu Paglas, Datu Piang, Datu Salibo, Datu Saudi-Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, General Salipada K. Pendatun, Guindulungan, Mamasapano, Mangudadatu, Pagalungan, Paglat, Pandag, Rajah Buayan, Shariff Aguak, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, South Upi, Sultan sa Barongis, Sultan Sumagka and Talayan shall comprise the Lone Legislative District of the Province of Southern Maguindanao. For the purpose of this section, Cotabato City shall have its own legislative district effective upon the election and qualification of its representative to be held on the second Monday of May in the year 2022. The incumbent Representatives of the present Province of Maguindanao shall continue to represent their respective legislative districts until the expiration of their term of office."
Both Sinsuat and Mangudadatu said they earlier met with Maguindanao Governor Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu and the mayors of the province and all have supported the proposal.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1093618
No comments:
Post a Comment