Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

Redistricting Aklan

On Thursday, May 24, the Senate Committee on Local Government approved a bill making the Province of Aklan into two (2) congressional districts. A similar bill Cong. Florencio T. Miraflores authored and filed in the House of Representatives was approved by that chamber several months ago. 

But that redistricting bill for Aklan before it becomes a law will still be approved by the Senators during their plenary session. After the Senate has stamped its approval, there maybe a bicameral conference committee to finalize the two versions (House and Senate) of the bill. The final version is then sent to the office of the President of the Philippines for his approval. For that bill to become a law, the President may sign it or he just allows it to lapse into law by not acting on it. 

For its proper implementation, there must be Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) to be approved. The law and its IRR must be published in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper. If it is required, the people of Aklan will be asked to vote in a plebiscite to obtain agreement to make Aklan into two congressional districts.

The Aklan redis-tricting bill after its approval will make Aklan into two congressional districts and therefore two congressmen in the House of Representatives. This will double the voices of the Aklanons in congress to articulate their aspirations, their dreams, their problems and their ideals.

When today, Aklan has only one congressman, by 2013, Aklan will have two. In terms of projects, this will double the quantity and quality they may get of goods and services  from the national government. In return, Aklan will also double its contribution to the national government efforts in legislation, national planning and projects implementation.

How will Aklan be divided into two congressional districts? What municipalities constitute the First District? the Second District? Where are the boundaries? Questions like these may be answered after a copy of the said redistricting law is made available. 

TOURISM BENEFICIARIES

In order to participate and to benefit in our booming tourism industry, a person must produce product or services and sell it to the tourists. If he does not produce either goods or services for the tourists, then he becomes a willing victim of the tourist industry in Aklan. 

Think of these. For 24 hours daily, an average of 32 airplanes land and take off in Kalibo International Airport, Pook, Kalibo. Maybe, only 100 passenger are Aklanons, the rest in those planes are visitors. Or out of the 32 airplanes landing in KIA, maybe only one plane is enough for Aklanon passengers daily.

We can just imagine the volume of pollutants those planes bring to Aklan. We can just imagine the distraction these airplanes bring to the people during its arrival and take off especially in the middle of the night.

The million of tourist arrivals annually worsen traffic. Vehicular accidents increased, food items prices  increased, real estate cost and room rentals had increased. These price increases, pollution, traffic congestion and other disturbances had adversely affected the living condition of the people of Aklan.

The only way to participate and benefit from tourist industry is to produce either goods or services for sale to the visitors. Any Aklanon who has nothing to sell is a willing victim of tourism.

There is a need to produce something salable to the visitors to make tourism in Aklanon meaningful and profitable to Aklanons. /MP