Sun.Star: Carcar now a city

Residents of the historic town of Carcar in Cebu celebrated Sunday night the upgrading of their town into a city, following a plebiscite there last weekend. Sun.Star Cebu reported Monday that fireworks lit up the sky for two minutes to signal the end of the campaign to make Carcar a new city. Only about 13,483, or 28 percent of the former heritage town's registered voters, turned up to vote. Of them, 11,699 or 87 percent voted "yes," against 1,748 who voted "no." Carcar is now the second town in Cebu to become a city this year, following Bogo in the north, which held its plebiscite last June 16. "We should not miss this opportunity because this town deserves to become one," reelected Mayor Patrick Barcenas said after he cast his "yes" vote at 9:35 a.m. in Barangay (village) Poblacion 1. Barcenas said the conversion should have happened eight years ago, ahead of neighboring Talisay City's change in status. While Carcar failed to surpass the 60.8 percent turnout in Bogo, its turnout was still higher than Parañaque's 7 percent and San Juan and Navotas' 12 percent. Carcar residents, known for making shoes and tempting chicharon (pork cracklings), went on with their normal routines. Internet cafés teemed with teenagers, while others spent much of their Sunday in Carcar's department store and a food chain. Cebu provincial election supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano noted that some residents even spent the day at the beach to celebrate St. Peter's Day. Castillano initially projected a 30 to 40 percent turnout of voters, more than enough to ratify Republic Act 9436, the law converting Carcar town into a component city. The mayor said the benefits will be tremendous, starting with the town's P72-million annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) that could triple. More IRA funds, he said, will finance a bigger public market and a bus terminal, new school buildings, as well as the opening of two diversion roads. The first diversion road would link Barangay Poblacion 3 to Barangay Poblacion 1, stretching about four kilometers and leading to Barili town. The second one will connect Barangays Valladolid and Bolinawan, a seven-kilometer alternate road heading towards Argao town. These two new roads will unclog traffic especially at the historic rotunda, Barcenas said. Barcenas also vowed to provide funds for the improvement of the local shoe-making industry through training, promotions and soft loans. Vice Mayor Nicepuro Apura, for his part, promised to pass a measure extending the tax hike moratorium to 10 years. Apura, who will preside over the local council's inaugural session on Wednesday, also sees the need for "extensive" urban planning and the development of the town's tourism sites. - GMANews.TV