Quisumbing denies agreeing to file lone district bill for Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Sixth District Rep. Luigi Quisumbing denied that he has agreed to file a bill making Mandaue City as a lone congressional district.

Quisumbing issued the denial after Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes claimed that he already agreed to sponsor the bill.

“That is not true. What I said was, I still have to consult the officials of One Cebu Party and other congressmen,” Quisumbing said.

Quisumbing however clarified that he, being a Mandauehanon, also wanted to make the city a lone district but he thinks that the right time has not yet come.

“I have never against the conversion of Mandaue. I am for the conversion of Mandaue City as a lone district. Mandaue deserves it,” said the neophyte legislator.

Quisumbing explained that  there are some legal impediments on why this cannot be done now as other towns in the district like Cordova and Consolacion will be left out and cannot stand as district apart from the city due to lack of legal and economic requirements.

Roger Paler, Mandaue City information officer, in a separate interview also denied that the mayor issued a statement attributing to Quisumbing.

Paler said that the mayor was just misquoted in the newspaper report (not The FREEMAN). He however admitted that Cortes and Quisumbing have met but refused to divulge what was agreed upon during the meeting.   - (THE FREEMAN)