World Tourism confab. Kapampangan delegates from Angeles City including first lady Herminia Pamintuan (extreme right) and tourism officer Richard Daenos (extreme left) join CNN reporter Andrew Stevens at the World Conference on Tourism and Culture in Cambodia. Contributed photo
CABANATUAN CITY – More than two years after its conversion to a highly-urbanizing city status, this city is still mired in the ticklish issue of when to hold the plebiscite to ratify its new status due to legal, monetary, and political problems that enveloped it.
Pres. Aquino, upon the request of Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara backed up by a resolution by the local city council, declared through a presidential proclamation issued on July 4, 2012 the change of status of this city from a component city of Nueva Ecija to a highly urbanized city (HUC).
The requisite ratification through a plebiscite which was ordered to be held within 120 days was scheduled to be held on December 1, 2012. The Commission on Elections (Comelec), however, cancelled it due to the proximity of the mid-term May 2013 elections and reset it for January 25, 2014.
A few days before the scheduled plebiscite, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order stopping the Comelec from proceeding with the plebiscite. The TRO was in response to a certiorari filed by Gov. Aurelio Umali asking to stop the holding of the plebiscite.
Umali in his petition averred the plebiscite should include all voters of Nueva Ecija as the province will be affected by the change of status of the city in terms of diminution in size and income and will no longer have administrative powers on the city and its officials.
The SC directed the Comelec to hold the plebiscite on a later date but must include all the registered voters in the province for the ratification issue. The Comelec then set again the plebiscite last November 8.
For the third time, the November 8 plebiscite was reset again by the Comelec saying that the Cabanatuan City government cannot put up the funds needed for the holding of the plebiscite.
It said that the plebiscite will be held once the city government certifies to the availability of P101 million, of which P47.52 million must be remitted to theComelec, for the holding of the plebiscite.Observers believed that the city government will not make available the fund for the plebiscite unless the political situation in the province changes.
It will happen only if Umali, who is on his third and last term as governor, could be replaced by a Vergara ally who will campaign for a “Yes” vote for the ratification of the HUC status of this city in a plebiscite. Umali is fielding his wife, Rep. Czarina of the third district of Nueva Ecija, for governor.
She will be opposed, it was learned, by ex-Rep. Rodolfo Antonino who will be supported by Vergara. The governor will himself run for congressman of the third district of Nueva Ecija. Vergara will field his wife, Rina, to oppose him, it was learned.
