'Supreme Court ruling on Camsur clears Senate'

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) decision upholding the constitutionality of the redistricting of Camarines Sur has vindicated the decision of the Senate that heavily debated the issue.

Sen. Joker Arroyo said yesterday “with that kind of vote, the possibility of a reversal through a motion of reconsideration is slim.”

“The three branches of the government have spoken in unison. Houses (of Congress) have enacted the bill, the executive has signed into law, and the Supreme Court has upheld the law. We must move on and respect our adjudicatory process.”

The Senate voted 12-2 for the redistricting of Camarines Sur. 

The losing parties appealed to the SC for relief, but the high court dismissed their petition by a vote of 9-5.

“This lays to rest with finality the constitutional question that minimum population requirement of 250,000 for a new district of a city does not apply to an additional district of a province,” Arroyo said.

The Liberal Party brought the Camsur measure through heavy debate during plenary session.

LP president Mar Roxas said “it was the Liberal Party that opposed the creation of an additional district in Camarines Sur to favor somebody who is from Pampanga.”