Pabling confident of 2nd district split

CEBU, Philippines - Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia is positive that by next election in 2013, Cebu Province will already have seven representatives in Congress with the splitting of the 2nd district of Cebu Province.

Garcia told reporters at the Capitol yesterday that House Bill 3865 which separates the second district, which he is now representing, is already approved in the Lower House.

Garcia said that it will be elevated to the Senate where he said he does not expect local bills like it to encounter difficulty.

“By next election duna na’y laing distrito sa atong lalawigan,” Garcia said.

Garcia is pushing for the creation of an additional district made up of seven of the 15 towns he currently represents.

If approved, HB 3865 will create a new district composed of Argao, Dalaguete, Alcoy, Boljoon, Oslob, Santander and Samboan.

The second legislative district of Cebu Province will be composed of its remaining eight towns: Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara, Moalboal, Badian, Alegria, Malabuyoc and Ginatilan.

Excluding the cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, the province currently has six congressional districts. The second district has the most number of towns at 15.

Garcia said that his P70 million Priority Development Assistance Fund per year is spread out among the 15 towns and 284 barangays of his district.

The second legislative district’s land area is almost one-third of the entire province. Cebu’s second district also has the longest coastline. It has 246.8 kilometers of national roads, the longest among the six legislative districts of the province.

As of August 2007, the district recorded a total population of 401,046.

The newest district in the province is that of Lapu-Lapu, which was separated from the sixth district when RA 9726 became a law in September 2009. (FREEMAN)