Senate panel OKs bill dividing Maguindanao into two provinces

The Senate committee on local government on Monday approved on first reading a bill seeking to divide Maguindanao into two provinces.

House Bill No. 6413, transmitted by the lower chamber to the Senate, seeks to split the province into Northern Maguindanao and Southern Maguindanao provinces as follows:

Northern Maguindanao:

• Barira;
• Buldon;
• Datu Blah Sinsuat;
• Datu odin Sinsuat;
• Kabuntalan;
• Matanog;
• Northern Kabuntalan;
• Parang;
• North Upi;
• Sultan Kudarat;
• Sultan Mastura; and
• Talitay

Southern Maguindanao:

• Ampatuan;
• Buluan;
• Datu Abdulla Sangki;
• Datu Anggal Midtimbang;
• Datu Hoffer Ampatuan;
• Datu Montawal;
• Datu Paglas;
• Datu Piang;
• Datu Salibo;
• Satu Saudi Ampatuan;
• Datu Unsay;
• Gen. Salipada K. Pendatun;
• Guindulungan;
• Mamasapano;
• Mangudadatu;
• Pagalungan;
• Paglat;
• Pandag;
• Rajah Buayan;
• Shariff Aguak;
• Shariff Saydona Mustafa;
• Sultan sa Barongis;
• Talayan; and
• South Upi

The proposed seats of government in the two provinces shall be in Datu Odin Sinsuat and Buluan, respectively.

"Not all splitting is harmful... Politically-motivated gerrymandering would worsen rent-seeking and wastage of public resources whereas economically-motivated gerrymandering would lead to improved provision of public services," said Maguindanao Representative Esmael Mangudadatu, one of the principal authors of the bill in the lower house.

Maguindanao Governor Bai Mariam Sangki Mangudadatu also expressed support for the division of the province during the Senate hearing, as she stressed that this would pave the way for "issue-based governance."

"This move will further improve the ongoing transition phase of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao," she said.

Sangki, however, appealed to lawmakers to retain Shariff Aguak as the seat of power in Southern Maguindanao, citing historical and proximity considerations.

"Mayroon po tayong 18 municipalities near Shariff Aguak... Out of the 24 municipalities of the proposed Southern Maguindanao province, 18 municipalities are nearer or more accessible to the government center in Sharif Aguak than that to Buluan," she told the committee.

She added that retaining Shariff Aguak as the capital for the Southern Maguindanao would "change the negative image" of the whole area and would entail minimal cost in terms of rehabilitation of the building to be used.

Representative Mangudadatu, on the other hand, underscored that Shariff Aguak has been a den of extremist groups.

"'Noong nangyari ang Maguindanao massacre, 'yun ang pinakamalagim nangyari noong 2009. Napakaraming mga baril diyan sa lugar na 'yan... Naging lungga ng napakaraming extremist groups tulad ng ISIS, tulad ng lawless elements. So I am highly disposing and opposing also to her recommendation," Mangudadatu said.

The Maguindanao massacre, which transpired at Ampatuan town in November 2009, claimed the lives of Mangudadatu's wife, sisters, and supporters who were on their way to file his Certificate of Candidacy for governor for the 2010 national and local elections. They were en route to the Commission on Elections provincial office in Maguindanao's capital Shariff Aguak when killed.

More than half of those killed in the massacre were journalists covering the filing of Mangudadatu's COC. Prominent members of the Ampatuan clan — a political rival of the Mangudadatus — were convicted for the crime.

"'Yan po ang dahilan kung bakit kailangan makita ng sambayanan, lalung-lalo na sa lalawigan, na mayroon pong presensya ng gobyerno," the governor said in response to Mangudadatu's argument.

Senator Francis Tolentino, who chairs the committee, said the contention regarding the appropriate capital for the proposed Southern Maguindanao province shall be discussed further in the technical working group.

"I don't want this hearing to turn into a political debate. We are here to finalize, crystalize a long-pending legislation," he said.

The bill from the lower house also has counterpart measures in the Senate, which shall be considered in crafting the committee report that would be discussed in the Senate plenary. —KBK, GMA News