Gerrymandering in Cebu's new seventh district
We, from the western side of the current second district of Cebu, have always felt that all our previous congressmen, who almost always came from the eastern side, (the dominant town of Argao particularly ) except Atty Pabling P. Garcia, did not treat us with equal attention and equal share of public works and infrastructures. It has always been our collective desire to secede, but we did not have the numbers. Former Congressman Garcia's bill to create a separate district was not yet approved into law, when current Representative Willy Caminero took over. We salute Congressman Willy for pursuing the bill but we have some misgivings in the manner of dividing the fifteen towns. We are again at the losing side.
The Wikipedia and the Merriam-Webster dictionary define " gerrymandering'' as a practice that intends to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district configurations and boundaries, precisely to assure a partisan advantaged district. The word gerrymandering is a combination of the family name of Governor Elridge Gerry of Massachusets, USA and the animal salamander. He signed a law that reconfigured the district in that state and the resultant shape resembled that of a salamander, which is the cousin of the lizard. I do not wish at all to call this "Caminerondering" because Congressman Willy is a dear friend but it is really unfair.
By retaining Samboan and Santander as parts of the second district, the bill gives undue advantage to that district over the new seventh district. It has already two first class towns, namely, Argao with a population of 69,503 ( 2010 census) and 45 barangays and Dalaguete with a population of 63,239 and 35 barangays. Not contented, it annexed Samboan, a fifth class town, which is facing the west, with only 18,613 population and 15 barangays, Also Santander, a fourth class town, facing Negros with only 16,105 residents and 10 barangays. Because of this, the total population of the new district will only be 186,787, not 200,000 as stated in the bill. The income may also not qualify.
The proposed seventh district does not have any first class or even second class municipality. Only Dumanjug, the bailiwick of the Garcias and the Baricuatros, and Gicas, is a third class town along with Badian. Moalboal and Alegria are fourth class municipalities. All the rest are fifth class, namely Ronda, Alcantara, Malabuyoc, and Ginatilan. On the other hand, the second district has two first class towns (Argao and Dalaguete), two fourth class (Oslob and Santander), and three fifth class (Alcoy, Boljoon and Samboan). This configuration makes the people of Samboan and Santander too far removed from Argao, the center of its political and economic activities. It is unfair to them.
We understand that one of the co-authors of the bill is Representative Gwen Garcia, who is really from Dumanjug. With all due respect, we expected the gentle lady who is now from the third district to have asked the principal author to amend the bill and make sure that the good SP member John Peter Calderon, from Samboan, could run in the seventh. He would have a tough chance in the second. Thus, we also learned that he transferred residence to Ginatilan. Because of this, we expect another Garcia to run against possibly Calderon. I will try to convince Senator Boy Herrera, from Alegria, to establish residence and run too for Congress representing the new district.
It is high time that the much neglected western front of the South shall receive its rightful treatment. After all, this is the district where Governor Dionisio Jakosalem, Governor Pabling, and Governor Gwen (from Dumanjug) hail, and Governor Francisco Emilio F Remotigue (from Ronda ) were born, raised and rose to heights. Remotigue, my distant uncle, was Marcos' first DSWD secretary (then called SWA, Social Welfare Administration). He was the mentor of Chief Justice H G Davide Jr. Of all those who run against Serging Osmeña, Ingko Milio Remotigue was the one who got the highest margin of almost a victory. And so, Cong Willy, if you happen to read this, kindly rethink the seventh district, in the interest of fairness to us from the other side of our southern Paradise.
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