The division of Palawan into three provinces is bereft of any study to support its benefits to the local residents and the natural environment but would rather worsen poverty and threaten the province’s ecosystem, an environmental lawyer and executive director of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) warned.
Speaking before more than 200 individuals who attended the 2019 State of Nature Assessment or Green SONA organized by ecocoalition Green Convergence, Forest Foundation Philippines, Energy Development Corporation at Hue Hotel, Atty. Grizelda “Gerthie” Mayo-Anda, Executive Director of the ELAC, criticized the provincial government for railroading the process arguing the absence of studies to support the creation of new provinces.
“Nakikita natin na very strong ang initiative ng governor natin. Walang debate. Hindi pinag-aralan. Our key argument is that hindi sya agendang pang-kaunlaran at hindi sya natalakay na development priorities ng probinsya. Kung ang Palawan ay Last Ecological Frontier, pero kung ganito ang daloy ng kaunlaran natin tayo ay magiging lost frontier,” she said.
Republic Act 11259 divides Palawan into the provinces—-Palawan del Norte, Palawan Oriental and Palawan del Sur. It was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last April 2019 and will take effect upon its ratification through a plebiscite set next year.
Atty. Anda said that the creation of the new provinces will not benefit residents but will deprive the municipalities and barangays of their share in natural wealth. This also did not guarantee to help uplift the social and economic conditions of the people in the communities.
In her Powerpoint presentation, she said that under RA 11259, the barangay’s royalty share from the utilization of its natural wealth will become only 16 percent compared to the 35 percent provided under the RA 7160 or the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991. The municipality’s 45 percent share is also reduced to only 24 percent compared to the 35 percent under LGC.
“Halimbawa itong sa Barangay Panacan, ang kanyang P42 Million na share ay P19 Million na lang. Hindi pa alam ng barangay yan. Ang municipality of Narra from P57 Million ay nasa P 28 Million na lang. Ito ay malinaw na walang cost benefit analysis,” Atty. Anda explained.
She further said that instead of alleviating poverty and empowering the local governments, the new law in Palawan became detrimental to the towns, barangays and the local communities. Instead of gaining from the proceeds of the natural resources extracted from their territorial jurisdictions, host towns and barangays, and the local community itself are being deprived of the share that they rightfully deserved.
Palawan has a poverty rate of more than 50 percent which is higher compared to the country’s average poverty rate of 21 percent.
“Napakayaman ng Palawan, ngunit mahirap ang karamihang mga Palaweno. Itong 50 percent ay mataas pa rin yan compared sa national poverty rate na nasa 20 percent lang. Mayabong ang Palawan pero mahirap ang karamihan na nandidito,” she said.
She maintained that Palawan is not only considered as the country’s last ecological frontier, the province is also an island ecosystem.
She also criticized Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) for the absence of study that will support the need of dividing Palawan into three provinces.
“Ang Palawan ay isang island ecosystem. Ang isang political agenda ay dapat nakasalalay sa isang ecological agenda rin. Dapat may environmental research. Pinag-aralan ba ng PCSD yun? Sagot, hindi. Yun ang nakakalungkot. Yun ang hindi nangyayari. Mayroon tayong SEP (Strategic Environmental Plan of Palawan) Law at tayo lang ang meron nito. Bahagi ba ng Sustainable Development Agenda ng Palawan ang paghahati ng Palawan? Dapat sina-alang alang kung may ecological viability ba? Papaano na lang ang mga lugtang kagurang-gurangan nilang mga katutubo?,” she said.
Atty. Anda warned that the voice of the electorates will only be thwarted next year through vote-buying instead of allowing the citizens to decide conscientiously on the fate of Palawan.
“In the light of the massive vote buying next year, how the No to Division of Palawan stand a chance?” she asked.
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