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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Palawan stays as one

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Palawan stays as one"The plebiscite showed democracy in action."

 

 

I've visited Palawan only once, and that was way back in 1985. I was asked by a former high school classmate, whose family was involved in provincial politics from the 1960s to 1970s, to conduct some sort of an informal survey to determine the sentiments of ordinary folk regarding the planned candidacy of one of his relatives for the highest provincial post. I spent a week in Puerto Princesa and traveled south to Brooke's Point where I interviewed a number of people, among them the owner of a small seaside resort.

Upon my return to Manila, I reported to my friend that his relative's name was familiar to the folks in that part of the province and would likely vote for him if he decided to run for provincial governor. I never did get to find out what happened after that, as I was closely following the political atmosphere in Metro Manila that by then had started to reach fever-pitch, culminating in the February 1986 People Power uprising.

I felt no small measure of nostalgia for the Palawan I had seen 36 years ago—the pristine state of the natural environment then, and the friendly and welcoming people—when I began to read news reports about the plebiscite held last March 13 to ascertain whether Palaweños wanted to divide the province into three separate political entities or to retain the status quo.

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As it turned out, the majority of Palaweños wanted to keep the province as a single political unit. The people in the province exercised their right to vote and voted according to their conscience after weighing the pros and cons of the issue. This, I think, is democracy in action that should well be the measure by which we should judge future elections, whether national or local.

The peaceful and orderly conduct of the plebiscite amid the ongoing COVD-19 pandemic is a testament to the thorough planning and preparations made by the Commission on Elections. The poll body was ably assisted by the Health and Education departments as well as by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. And of course, the local governments units in the province did their part too in making the political exercise proceed with few problems and hitches along the way.

The Palawan plebiscite showed democracy in action. The One Palawan Movement prevailed in this political exercise because they were able to convince the majority of the people that keeping the province united under a central leadership would be good for them.

Puerto Princesa City will remain the capital of Palawan and can embark on more ambitious tourism development plans and projects in the years ahead. The city has been acclaimed several times as the cleanest and greenest city in the entire country and has a wide range of attractions ranging from beaches to wildlife reserves, making it a nature lover's paradise.

But the political victory of the One Palawan Movement may also have its own drawbacks in terms of missed opportunities for some parts of the province, particularly those located far from the provincial capitol. Had the province been divided into three, it could well have been declared a separate region entitled perhaps to increased budgetary allotments from the national government. Three separate provincial governments would have also allowed each of them to reach more constituents and to deliver more services faster and perhaps more efficiently. But that's all water under the bridge now.

While the proponents of the 3-in-1 Palawan have already conceded that they have lost a good fight, apparently they also lament that the campaign had also been marked by what they claim to be fake news, disinformation and black propaganda aimed at putting them in a bad light. It seems that during the campaign period allotted for the plebiscite, those who supported the idea of three Palawans found themselves the object of claims of corruption and even lack of concern for environmental protection.

Be that as it may, now that the dust has settled and the results have been validated, both sides in the political fray should join hands and unite for the good of the entire province. The challenge now is for the provincial government to accelerate economic growth and social development so that it can reduce poverty and raise the quality of life of all Palaweños in the years ahead.

I'd really want to go back to Palawan once the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided but this time, not for any political survey, but to see for myself how the province has progressed from 36 years ago.

ernhil@yahoo.com

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