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Friday, February 23, 2007
Arroyo signs law dividing Oro into 2 districts
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Thursday the measure creating two legislative districts in Cagayan de Oro City.
A group, however, is moving to have the law declared unconstitutional and null and void.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
With the city's division into two districts, residents will be voting for two representatives to the House and 16 councilors during the May 14 polls.
House Bill 5859 created a second congressional district in the city by splitting the present lone district into west and the east with the Cagayan de Oro River as the natural boundary.
Cagayan de Oro Representative Constantino "Tinnex" Jaraula authored the bill, which served as a modification of an earlier proposal on the redistricting of the city.
Jaraula said the new law has to be published for it to take effect.
"For purposes of binding the public, the law needs to see publication in a newspaper of general circulation within 15 days," he said. "This would mean that the law would have its full binding effect by March 10 or two weeks just before the start of the electoral campaign."
Jaraula added that they would then submit a copy of this new law to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the poll body to come up with implementing rules and guidelines.
He also debunked reports that Arroyo was hesitant in signing the bill into law.
"That's stupidity as it was President Arroyo who certified the proposed House bill as urgent for the Senate to tackle," he said.
Some lawyers who requested anonymity for personal and political purposes are looking into whether they would file a legal action to have the law declared as unconstitutional.
They said the law has several loopholes and items that "could be a good subject for questions of law."
One lawyer said the law even smacks of gerrymandering, as there is a redistricting to suit political ambitions both of the administration and the opposition.
Jaraula clarified though that the move to redistrict the city into two cannot be classified as gerrymandering because the division is based on a natural boundary -- the Cagayan de Oro River.
"It is unlike the previous proposal that some five barangays including Barangay Puntod were proposed to belong to the western district," he said. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao.
(February 23, 2007 issue)
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