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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017
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BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia will look into the proposal to divide this capital city into two legislative districts.
Rep. Greg Gasataya sought the city government’s official position on his proposal, contained in House Bill No. 147.
He separately wrote Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Feb. 15 to seek their stand. In the bill, the congressman cited the city’s continuously growing population.
“I have not yet received the letter,” Leonardia told a news conference on Monday, “but when I get it, I will make a study on that.”
An executive branch committee comprising representatives from planning, engineering, treasury, and other city hall departments “with relevance to Congress” will be formed, said the mayor.
“We should have a thorough study on that,” Leonardia said.
Several local officials — Gasataya and Leonardia’s political allies — earlier told Panay News having two districts will be good for the city.
Familiaran and three councilors have similar opinion: the redistricting will lead to “equitable representation” in Congress, “more projects and opportunities,” “more developments,” and “progress.”
But on Monday Leonardia noted that “there is a difference between then and now.”
He cited the Priority Development Assistance Fund, or pork barrel. Each lawmaker was allotted P70 million. If Bacolod had two districts represented by two legislators, it would have had P140 million, he said.
But now the discretionary fund for representatives — which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional — could no longer be a reason for seeking to divide the city into two districts, Leonardia stressed.
According to the City Planning and Development Office, the city is projected to have a population of 579,101 this year, based on a 1.78-percent annual growth rate.
Section 5, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution provides for a 250,000 minimum population for a legislative district to merit representation in Congress.
“Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory,” the Constitution stated. “Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative.”/PN
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