Voters Approve New Philippines Province

Voters have approved the creation of a new province in the central Philippines in a plebiscite held five weeks before presidential elections, the government media affairs office said Sunday.

A spokesman said that 75% of more than 200,000 voters approved the creation of Negros del Norte province on sugar-growing Negros Island on Friday.

Negros del Norte, which has three cities and eight towns, was carved out of the northern part of Negros Occidental province.

Supporters said that creation of the new province could speed up development of the area. Opponents argued that the move is politically motivated and will become the fiefdom of a politician close to President Ferdinand E. Marcos.