Bill to create 7th district approved on 2nd reading

Cebu second district Rep. Pablo Garcia said his bill to create a seventh congressional district for Cebu Province has been approved by the Local Government Committee of the House of Representatives on second reading.

With the approval, Garcia said the bill is now ready for third and final reading before it will be subjected to voting during the plenary. Garcia said the next hearing of the bill is yet to be scheduled, as Congress reconvenes this month.

Then again, even if the bill successfully hurdles the House of Representatives, it would have to undergo another scrutiny at the Senate.

If Senate would approve the bill, however, the second district would then be split into two to create the seventh district. The second district is the biggest district in Cebu province with 15 towns and 284 barangays.

Garcia’s proposal would be to separate the municipalities of Argao, Alcoy, Boljoon, Dalaguete, Oslob, Samboan, and Santander to form a seventh district.

The municipalities of Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara, Moalboal, Ginatilan, Badian, Alegria and Malabuyoc would be retained at the second district.

Garcia, the predecessor of his daughter Gwendolyn at the Capitol, argued that the province is already fully entitled to a new district.

“Cebu should, from the start, have more districts,” he said, contending that from 1907 up to the 70’s, Cebu province only has seven representatives.

Garcia said that before he passed the bill, proper consultations were conducted so as to provide the towns an equitable distribution of Congress’ priority development assistance fund.

“Nag-consult ko sa mga tawo pud ug sila naka-feel nga kinahanglan na gyud,” Garcia said.

Each district representative is allocated P70 million a year, irregardless of his district’s jurisdictional size.

The 1987 Constitution mandates that every 250,000 population is entitled to at least one representative in Congress.

It also mandates that “within three years following the return of every census, Congress shall make a reappointment of legislative districts based on the standards provided.”

Garcia assured the first, third, fourth and the  fifth districts will not be affected by the proposal. — Garry B. Lao/JMO (THE FREEMAN)