Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) — A lawmaker from Aklan has firmly opposed the revival of the Boracay Island Development Authority (BIDA) Bill which mandates the creation of a body that could take the management of Boracay Island’s affairs from the local government.
Aklan 2nd District Rep. Teodorico Haresco Jr. on Wednesday said the provincial government “vehemently objects to the creation of a corporate entity,” adding that the proposed body’s “almost all-encompassing powers” could diminish mandated powers for the local government authority.
“The Philippine Constitution upholds the local autonomy enjoyed by our local governments,” Haresco said. “I enjoin everyone to listen to the Aklanons and heed to our wisdom of Aklan having its own capabilities to develop and protect Boracay and prosper for the country.”
The consolidated BIDA bill or House Bill 9826 filed in the 18th Congress tasks BIDA to manage, develop, operate, preserve and rehabilitate the Boracay Island Development Zone, which includes the entirety of Boracay Island and surrounding islets including Barangay Caticlan.
Submitted to the 18th Congress, the measure was approved by the House of Representatives on its third reading but failed to hurdle the Senate.
It was then revived and refiled by Camarines Sur representatives LRay Villafuerte, Migz Villafuerte, and Hori Horibata, and Rep. Nick Enciso of the Bicol Saro party-list.
The Sangguniang Panalalawigan (SP) members of Aklan filed a resolution on Aug. 8 declaring the four authors of BIDA bill revival as persona non grata in their province.
The authors, however, withdrew the refiling of the bill on Aug. 3 after “careful discernment.”
Persona non grata
Rep. LRay Villafuerte called the persona non grata resolution “superfluous,” “melodramatic” and “unnecessary,” citing their previous withdrawal before the declaration.
“Rather than resort to histrionics, Aklan’s SP members should have first taken two steps that would have settled the issue in an intelligent manner and prevented them from ending up with egg on their faces,” he said.
In an earlier statement, Villafuerte said the Aklan officials should have checked the bill’s developments or lobbied against the congressional passage of the proposal rather than declaring the bill’s authors persona non grata.
“Where were these supposed anti-BIDA Aklanons when us lawmakers were discussing the measure?” he said. “They should have voiced their opposition to the bill and brought their concerns to our attention back then before the bill was passed on third and final reading.”
The legislator further called the officials “misguided” and said their actions “didn’t speak well of them as elective officials of Aklan.”
“The Despicable Antics of the members of the Aklan provincial board only highlights their political immaturity and idiocy,” Villafuerte added.
Aklan officials have yet to issue a statement on Villafuerte’s comments.
