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[av_heading heading=’Davao City as PH capital?’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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January 18, 2018
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MANILA – Two party-list representatives filed on Wednesday a House bill that seeks to turn Davao City as the Philippine capital and remove the seat of power from Metro Manila.
House Bill 6968, or the “Philippine Capital Relocation Act of 2018,” aims to decongest Metro Manila and spur development in the countryside, according to Kabayan’s Ron Salo and Ciriaco Calalang.
Under the measure, the presidential and vice presidential offices, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the constitutional offices, and the head offices of government agencies shall be relocated to Davao City.
“This bill should help ease traffic in the already congested Metro [Manila], as well as prevent the further rise in population due to unmitigated migration, congestion and urban blight, which hamper further development,” the lawmakers said.
The transfer will have an initial budget of P1 billion, to be taken from the Presidential Savings of the current fiscal year. Subsequent allocations will be included in the national budget, the bill said.
“The idea of separating the country’s seat of government from other centers was taken from the United States and China,” read part of the bill.
“In the USA, Washington, DC is the country’s political capital while New York is its financial capital,” it read. “In China, Beijing is the country’s political capital while Shanghai is its financial capital.”
In the proposal, Metro Manila will remain as the Philippines’ economic/finance center and the Malacañang Palace will still be the official residence of the president.
Buildings vacated as a result of the transfer will either be converted into Metro Manila regional offices or transferred to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines if they have historical significance, stated the bill./PN
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