Gwen touts Cebu's unity vs. Sugbuak

Governor Gwen Garcia has recently boasted an overwhelming victory against the divide-Cebu proposal, or Sugbuak, in last week's general assembly of barangay captains of the province.

The governor gladly reported that 888 out of 1,125 barangay captains in the province attended the assembly - a turnout that she said was a clear signal that Cebu is still "one, united, and indivisible."

The turnout was an indication that the move of some legislators to form three more provinces out of Cebu "will not prosper," said Garcia.

Of the 47 towns in the province, only Bogo was not represented as none of its 29 barangay captains came. Bogo, a town in the north, has been the bailiwick of the opposition Martinez family in the fourth district.

Pinamungajan town in the south meanwhile has been with the opposition Yapha family, and of the town's 26 barangays, there was one from barangay Saksay that defected and attended the assembly.

"Tan-awa ra god. Kani karon we are witnessing a new age in politics. For a long, long time Cebu was divided by ugly, traditional politics - ang politika nga makabuak-buak, madinumtanon, manggukod og mangasaba," she said.

Garcia told the barangay captains that when she assumed office in 2004, only a few went to her side but this did not deter her as she reached out to those who opposed her for the betterment of Cebu.

But along the way, Garcia was racked with a bigger challenge to keep Cebu intact when three congressmen of Cebu filed last year separate bills in Congress to convert their respective districts into new provinces.

Some municipal and barangay councils in the province took turns in approving resolutions to oppose the Sugbuak bills, and Garcia said she persevered for her part to parry the onslaught of the divide-Cebu move.

"We did not leave one single stone unturned because we can't allow these moves to prosper. Og kani tan-awa ra inyong presensya karon, usa ni ka makabubungog nga signal nga kita usa ra og nga kitang tanan nagkahiusa," she said.

Fourth district Rep. Clavel Asas-Martinez filed a bill creating Cebu del Norte province, second district Rep. Simeon Kintanar pushed for his own Cebu del Sur province while third district Rep. Antonio Yapha wanted a Cebu Occidental province. - Cristina C. Birondo