The hashtag NoTo3in1Palawan trended on Twitter Saturday night as Palawan voters took part in a plebiscite to decide whether or not the province will be divided into three or remain a single province.
The plebiscite for the ratification of Republic Act (RA) 11259 dividing Palawan into the provinces of Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental, and Palawan del Sur has started on Saturday morning.
RA No. 11259 was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte signed on April 5, 2019.
A majority of “yes” votes will divide Palawan into three provinces. Meanwhile, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan’s capital, will not take part in the plebiscite as it will have its own Congressional district representative.
In a tweet, social media activist Francis Baraan IV said the division “will result to the ecological destruction of Palawan’s natural resources and beauty.”
Nonprofit organization Oceana Philippines urged policy makers to focus on conserving the province which is “being destroyed by widespread mining and logging” instead of dividing it.
“#NoTo3in1Palawan We have a high poverty and unemployment rate despite having the most [number] of provinces in Southeast Asia,” it said in a tweet.
“Palawan should be one solid and unified province. Dividing the island into three provinces would only worsen the existing problems. Do not let corrupt and capitalist people in power thrive. One Palawan is a protection of biodiversity, economy, and community,” one netizen wrote.
The #NoTo3in1Palawan reached over 14,000 tweets overnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment