BRIEF HISTORY ON THE CREATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY
Address Delivered on the Occassion of the 39th Anniversary of the Creation of the Municipality
Atty. Segundo G. Abayan
Lawa-an Eastern Samar
(exerpts)
I. INTRODUCTION
The proposal to create the Municipality of Law-an, Province of Samar was enacted as House Bill No. 78 in the Second Session of the Fourth Congress of the Republic of the Philippines, sponsored by Congressman Felipe Abrigo, Rep. of the Thrid District of the Province of Samar, in the Lower House, and by Senator Decoroso Rosales, in the Senate,a nd approved without executive approval on May 7, 1959 and became Republic Act No. 2185 entitled “An Act Creating the Municipality of LAwa-an, Province of Samar”.
II. ORIGIN OF THE PROPOSAL
The proposal for a separate and independent municipality to be known as the Municipality fo Lawa-an in the Province of Samar was initiated by Rosendo Gadicho after his defeat for Mayor of Balangiga, Samar during the local elections in 1955. Through the petitions of the people of Lawaan, the Bill creating the municipality was filed and sponsored by then Congressman Abogado of the third district of Samar. The bill was approved by the lower house but was not acted upon by the House of Representative for political reasons considering that there was a strong opposition by the big political leaders of the mother municipality, Balangiga.
During the following session of the Congress the Bill was refiled by Congressman Abogado, approved in the Lower House but again was not acted upon by the Senate for the same reason. It met the same fate of the first bill, victim of political maneuvering.
It was a hopeless case because of politics and the proposal for the creation of the municipality of Lawa-an died having no chance of being approved in Congress due to the existing circumstances at that time.
III. THE THIRD AND LAST FIGHT FOR THE REALIZATION OF THE DREAM
By fate and by the will of God that this municipality will be a separate and independent municipality, a man from the South of the island of the Province of Samar, sympathetic to the valid cause of the people of this locality, became the standard-bearer of the Nationalista Party for the Representative of the 3rd District of the Povince of Samar. He was no other than the late Congressman Felipe Abrigo who won the elections in 1958.
Modesty aside, being the president of the Lawa-an-Manilans Club which was organized by the residents of the then barrio of Lawa-an who were residing in Manila at that time for the purpose of pursuing the success of the Bill, I was invited by Congressman Felipe Abrigo to talk with him in a hotel at Quiapo where he was staying regarding the support for his candidacy. I was elated to have found a sure winner candidate for congressman who would be instrumental in the approval of the Bill. I accepted his request to help him in his candidacy, however with his pledge to refile the Bill by the time he will be in Congress. I told him that when he will have his political rally in this locality he should make a promise to the people of Lawa-an that he will refile the Bill in the event that he will win in the election. He then won by landslide in this barrio of Lawaan and in other barrios supposed to be included in the creation of the municipality. Overall, he won decisively in the 3rd district.
True to his words and promise the bill for the creation of the Municipality of Lawaan was the first bill that he filed… (written: May 7, 1963)
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