Nueva Camarines
Page Eleven
By ELINANDO B. CINCO
August 25, 2011, 10:29pm
Now there is a bill, already passed by the House of
Representatives, that would carve out the new province of Nueva
Camarines from the 4th and 5th districts of CamSur. The principal author
of House Bill 4728 and its amended final version, HB 4820, is Deputy
Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella, who represents the 5th district.
At the heart of Fuentebella’s proposed Nueva Camarines is a
vision of a better future for the residents of the northeastern section
of the province known as the Partido District.
The Partido District was once an isolated area which was dismally
underdeveloped – no modern water system, no efficient
telecommunications services, no major road network backbone system, and
no rapid electrification program. Poverty was also prevalent, despite
its belonging to a first-class province. Human development in health and
education was generally weak with the absence of major schools and
hospitals. There were also no strategic efforts to develop the potential
growth sectors (agriculture and tourism) which would have provided jobs
and income to many residents.
To address the glaring underdevelopment of the district, Rep.
Fuentebella authored the creation of the Partido Development
Administration through Republic Act No. 7820, structuring PDA as a
corporate body that would undertake a comprehensive and integrated
development program for the 10 municipalities comprising the district.
With the PDA, infrastructure development went into high gear. A
major project completed in 1997 as a direct result of the PDA's creation
is the Caramoan Peninsula “all-weather” road. The vital road links the
coastal municipalities of Presentacion, Garchitorena, and Caramoan to
the mainland municipalities.
The construction/rehabilitation of bridges and ports has also
been given due attention by the PDA. As of September 2007, there were
107 national bridges and 42 provincial bridges in the district.
In 1995, only 187 out of the 299 barangays in the third district
benefited from electric power. To address this situation, the PDA tapped
three power sources: Grid, solar, and stand-by generating sets. By
2005, all of the 299 barangays in the district had been energized.
In 1992, only four municipalities were able to avail of
communications services that were neither efficient nor dependable. Upon
PDA’s invitation, communications investors came in, expanded the lines
reaching more towns and households. It also accelerated the building of
social and physical infrastructures.
Previously lacking sorely in excellent educational institutions,
the Partido State University was established in 2001 to train and
educate the young people of the district according to its manpower
requirements.
The public and private sectors are now working together to
provide health services in the district, with various firms sponsoring
medical missions from time to time.
The PDA has also conducted irrigation mapping to identify the
status of irrigation and now implements an integrated irrigation system,
apart from building more farm-to-market roads and post-harvest
facilities in the district.
Plans are ongoing to further promote the Partido District as an
attractive tourist destination. The development of the district's
world-class tourism sites is continuing. With its white sand beaches and
massive limestone formations, Caramoan combines characteristics of both
Boracay and Palawan.
Apart from developing tourism, the PDA is also focused on mining.
It has already prepared an investment profile and inventory of the
district's mineral resources.
The result of all this has been lower poverty incidence in the
Partido District, as certified by the Congressional Planning and Budget
Department of Congress.
Now Rep. Fuentebella wants to further accelerate the pace of
development in the 4th and 5th districts of CamSur, through the proposal
to create the new province of Nueva Camarines.
He deserves all the support he can get, particularly from the senators who will soon deliberate on his House Bill 4820.
