Friday, April 18, 2008
New district pushed
THE latest population count shows Cebu is underrepresented in Congress, Rep. Pablo John Garcia (Cebu, 3rd district) said yesterday.
The National Statistics Office (NSO) released its latest population count yesterday. According to the report, Cebu Province, excluding three of its highly-urbanized cities, has a population of 2,439,005.
“This confirms our position that Cebu is underrepresented,” Garcia told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview yesterday. He said Cebu is entitled to four or five more legislators in the House of Representatives.
Garcia said the creation of more districts will “correct the imbalance” in the House and “make Cebu an influential block in Congress.” He said it will also bring in more development to the province.
Garcia also said that legislation for the creation of more districts in Cebu would have better chances of being passed if only one bill is filed. Cebuano congressmen, he said, should pool their resources and efforts together to file just one bill.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, meanwhile, said that with a population of 798,809, the Cebu City Government can now push for the creation of its third district. This, he said will mean more funding and projects from the National Government.
Osmeña said yesterday he wants all coastal barangays, the South Road Properties (SRP), the north reclamation area and the Municipality of Cordova to make up the new district.
He believes the City has the resources to strengthen linkage with Cordova, which he said is being neglected.
With the 290-hectare SRP there, the new district would be strongly tourism-oriented, Osmeña told reporters.
“If I were to decide, it would include Cordova and the coastal areas of the south district and even the north reclamation area. It’s time for the people of Cordova to have interaction with Cebu City, to be in one community,” he said.
Earlier, the Provincial Government officials already said it would not be possible for the City to make Cordova part of its territorial boundary.
“But of course the Province will not allow us to have Cordova. You have to remember that Cordova will soon be left out because Lapu-Lapu will be another district. So it’s better if they (Province) stop thinking of their own selfish interest and do what is good for Cebu,” the mayor added.
In an interview at the Manila Pavilion Hotel yesterday noon, Osmeña said it would even be better to integrate the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue into one big city.
Better still, all three cities could again be under the Province, which he suggested earlier.
“Then all the talk about this Metro Cebu authority will realize the objective of integration, with one traffic body and police but the central authority should be elected. I don’t like an authority where the leaders are appointed,” Osmeña added.
But other city officials warned that creating a new district would not be as easy as adding the population of the existing north and south districts and dividing it into three.
In their discussion about the issue yesterday, City Councilor Jose Daluz III said the councilors and North District Rep. Raul del Mar agree the division would be complicated.
Daluz said the 1987 Philippine Constitution only allows the division of one district into two, if the population requirement of 250,000 for each district is met.
“This is more complicated than we thought. If you make a new district, the division should only be within one district. You cannot add the population of two existing districts then divide it into three because the Constitution doesn’t allow that,” he said.
He explained, though, that the City could insist on making three districts out of two, but it would become a Constitutional issue that the entire country would have to decide on through a plebiscite.
Del Mar and Daluz said a widespread consultation and comprehensive study on the matter has to be conducted before a bill creating a new district or re-apportionment is filed.
South District Rep. Antonio Cuenco, meanwhile, said Cebu City is entitled to three districts with at least 250,000 for each district.
“I will have to talk with Rep. Raul del Mar on how to reapportion to have three districts. I was thinking of four—two in the north and two in the south—if the population reached more than one million. We will meet this Monday to discuss the means and bounds and decide which barangay will fall in the north district, south district, and central district,” Cuenco said.
Del Mar said, “I will still have to see the breakdown of the population. I can more or less assume that more than 500,000 of the population is in Cong. Cuenco’s district basing on the last election when his votes already totaled to more than 250,000. In my district, it was very far with only about 200,000 votes.”
If more than 500,000 of the population is listed under Cuenco’s district, Cuenco can create a new district in his own capacity, del Mar said.
When Cuenco decides to do so, it will be a beginning of a “very long process” that involves filing the bill for the creation of an additional district and “massive”
consultations with the officials and residents of the district. (JGA/LCR/NRC)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 18, 2008 issue)
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