‘No plan to make Caluya a province’

Panay News
REGION August 19, 2016

SAN JOSE, Antique – Mayor Genevive Lim-Reyes of Caluya said there is no plan to make the island municipality a separate province.

Reyes told local reporters she was not aware of any such plan but she had read about it in a newspaper.

“There is no such plan, and there’s no such move,” said the mayor. “I don’t know how that news story came out.”

Reyes also denied that Semirara, one of the islands in the town, will become a separate municipality.

“There is no such plan. Caluya will remain part of Antique, and Semirara Island will remain part of Caluya town,” said Reyes, who was elected president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Antique chapter unopposed on Thursday.

Caluya is a cluster of eight islands: Caluya (proper), Sibay, Sibato, Sibolo, Liwagao, Nagubat, Panagatan, and Semirara.

The richest municipality in Antique has a chance of easily turning itself into another province as far as land area is concerned.

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill that allows the conversion of one or more islands into a province even without meeting the minimum land area set by law.

House Bill 6138 could trigger the creation of additional provinces.

Authors of the measure included representatives Guillermo Romarate (Surigao Del Norte), Francisco Matugas (Surigao Del Norte), Philip Pichay (Surigao Del Sur), and Florencio Garay (Surigao Del Norte).

Under the bill, the land area requirement for the creation of a province can be lifted if it is composed of one or more islands.

The measure seeks to amend Section 461(b) of Republic Act 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, as amended by Republic Act 9009.

Caluya — specifically Semirara Island — is home to the biggest coal mine in Asia, operated by Semirara Mining and Power Corp. It has a population of 30,000.

On Thursday, third-termer Reyes’ fellow mayors gave her blanket authority to choose the other LMP-Antique officers.

She picked Francisco Baladjay of Laua-an as vice president, Mary Jean Te of Libertad as secretary, Elmer Untaran of San Jose as treasurer, John Lloyd Pacete of Bugasong as auditor, Jacqueline Posadas of Valderrama as public relations officer, and Jose Ma. Fornier of Tobias Fornier as business manager.

The Board of Directors comprises Julius Ronald Pacificador of Hamtic, Gerry Necor of Barbaza, Glenn Cabigunda of San Remigio, Jonathan Tan of Pandan, Joel Occeña of Sibalom, and Johnnyflores Bacongallo of Patnongon. (PNA)