Sugbuak (portmanteau of Sugbu and buak) refers to the failed proposal to divide the island province of Cebu in the Philippines into four separate provinces in 2007. The issue, which had emerged before the 2007 general election, was a polarizing issue in provincial politics, pitting the anti-partition camp of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Cebu City Representative Antonio Cuenco, against that of Sugbuak proponents Representatives Antonio Yapha Jr., Clavel Asas-Martinez, and Simeon Kintanar—all of whom were last-term congressmen at the time. Etymology The term Sugbuak is a portmanteau of the Cebuano words Sugbo (the endonym for Cebu) and buak ('split' or 'break') and roughly translates to "the splitting of Cebu" or "Broken Cebu". The more pro-partition term Sugbuhi is conversely a portmanteau of Sugbo and buhi ('life-giving'), roughly translating into "giving life to Cebu". History The idea of a divided Cebu can be traced to 1967, when a proposal to split the island's lone congressional district into a new province failed. Gubernatorial candidates in that year's general election who supported the partition were defeated due to strong opposition from the Cebu electorate. The actual Sugbuak began in February 2005, when Representatives Yapha, Asas-Martínez, and Kintanar filed three bills proposing that the fourth, second and third legislative districts of Cebu (which they held, respectively) be converted into three new provinces named Cebu del Norte, Cebu del Sur and Cebu Occidental. The remaining three districts of Cebu, in addition to the two legislative districts of Cebu City, would constitute a fourth province. The three provinces, according to their respective bills, would have their capitals in Bogo, Argao and Toledo. According to the congressmen, the motive for the Sugbuak is to bring the government "closer to the people" and to allow the new provinces to get an increased share in the Internal Revenue Allotment, as well as to hasten the development of the districts, which were said to have been "neglected" by the provincial government. Opposition The filing of the bills triggered a massive campaign to keep Cebu united. The campaign led by Governor García claimed that the motive for the Sugbuak was more political than economic. An article published by The Manila Times claimed that the provinces would have become the "virtual fiefdoms" of Asas-Martínez, Kintanar and Yapha after the partition, an idea reinforced by the fact that all three congressmen were in their last terms as