way back Davao oriental gets 3 villages from Surigao del sur. DAVAO ORIENTAL may get additional budget from Internal Revenue Allotment after winning in a long-running legal battle with the Provincial Government of Surigao del Sur over jurisdiction of three barangays situated in the boundaries of the two provinces. Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon disclosed that three more barangays will be added to the existing 183 barangays in Davao Oriental. The three villages are Barangays Rajah Kabunusan Pagtilaan and Onion which were carved out from the municipality of Lingig in Surigao del Sur. Davao Oriental has figured in a long-running legal battle with Surigao del Sur since 1990s as it claimed to have rightful jurisdiction over the three villages. Former Davao Oriental Governor Rosalind Lopez first field a case in early 1990s against Surigao del Sur as the claimed that Davao Oriental has rightful jurisdiction over the three barangays. The provincial director of the Department of Interior and Local Government in Davao Oriental, Almario Cero, said that Surigao del Sur did not plan to contest the ruling of a regional trial count in the municipality of Baganga, Davao Oriental which gave Davao Oriental jurisdiction over the three villages. “Per information that I got, Surigao del Sur is not contesting the court’s decision. So that means we will now have three more barangays added to our province. As a result, our share from the national government’s Internal Revenue Allotment will also be increased in light of the inclusion of these three barangays from Surigao del Sur,” says Cero in an interview here. Cero says the law mandates that as population of a local government unit like that of a province or of a municipality or a city increase, it’s IRA share from the national government will automatically increase. “It’s in the laws that an IRA share of an LGU should automatically increase of its population. And, an increase in our IRA share means there will be many more development programs and people of Davao Oriental,” says the DILG provincial director. “We are now talking with the Department of Budget and Management in Manila regarding the adjustment or increase of IRA share of Davao Oriental,” Cero told the local media. Earlier, Davao Oriental is expected to receive at least P568 million this year as its IRA share from the national government. But in light of the inclusion of the three barangays from Surigao del Sur to the province, Davao Oriental’s IRA share this year will be much bigger than the projected P568 million. Gov. Malanyaon said that Barangays Rajah Kabunsuan, Pagtilaan and Onion will now be part the municipality of Boston, Davao Oriental. The minerals-rich municipality of Boston is a fourth-class municipality of Davao Oriental. Before the inclusion of the three new barangays from Surigao del Sur, Boston municipality has a population of at least 15,000 with eight barangays. Large-scale mining companies are now operating in the area for its huge gold deposits. The place is adjacent to the gold-rich Mount Diwata in the Compostela Valley province. The news on the victory of Davao Oriental over its legal battle with Surigao del Sur is expected to offset a “devastating decision” of the Supreme Court which recently ruled that Davao Oriental’s capital, Mati, and the 15 other municipalities in the country could not be converted into cities for its failure to comply with the law’s basic requirement for each of them generate at least P100 million in locally soured revenue annually before they could be converted into cities. “Mati will face unimaginable devastation once the Supreme Court decision stripping us of our cityhood status wil be final. But we will continue the fight, no matter what, for what we are fighting for is equal distribution of our nation’s wealth. Decresing the IRA share of Mati means depriving the people of Mati of basic social services which the government ought to provide,” says Mati City Administration Richard Villacorte. He added that among the Davao provinces, only Davao Oriental do not have a city. He said that the conversion of the province’s capital, Mati, into a city is “a big boost” to the local economy of Davao Oriental, citing the fact that Mati will have at least P500 million as its annual IRA share from the national government. “If we operate on a municipality budget, it’s only a measly P150 million a year. The conversion of Mati into a city is a big boost especially to the local economy of Davao Oriental,” he added. Davao Oriental is located in the easternmost part of Southern Mindanao. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the east, Davao Provinces in the west, and Agustin del Sur and Surigao del Sur in the north, and Davao Gulf and Celebes Sea in the south. source news.davaooriental.ph/index.php/davor-gets-3-villages-from-surigao/
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 07:13:14 +0000
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