House makes Batangas City separate legislative district

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill constituting Batangas City as a separate legislative district.   

The city is now part of second district, which is represented by Raneo Abu.

Abu, together with Reps. Mark Mendoza, Sonny Collantes and Elenita Buhain of the fourth, third and first districts, respectively, authored House Bill 3750.

If the measure becomes a law and Batangas City residents approve the constitution of their city into a separate legislative constituency, Batangas would have five congressional districts.

The representative of the new district would be elected in the combined presidential-congressional-local balloting in 2016.

Until then, Abu will continue to represent the people of Batangas City as part of his present constituency.

The Commission on Elections will be mandated to issue implementing rules and regulations.

The House also approved on third and final reading another local bill separating the sitio of Rizal from Barangay Pembo in Makati and converting it into an independent barangay community.

A third local bill seeks to divide Barangay North Bay Boulevard South in Navotas City into three separate villages to be known as North Bay Boulevard South 1, 2, and 3.

The three local bills have been sent to the Senate, which usually respects the decision of the House on local measures.

Meanwhile, Abu has urged the business community to maximize the use of the international port of Batangas City.

He said the port, which the government built with a P5.5-billion loan from Japan, is “grossly underutilized.”

The facility was put up to serve businesses in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region and to decongest the Port of Manila, he said.