Digong slams Cebu 'despots'
THE "important meeting" for which Edgar Labella, Barug-PDP Laban's candidate for Cebu City mayor, had cancelled or put off a scheduled debate last Monday (May 6) turned out to be an appointment in Malacañang with the president.
Not only did Duterte raise Labella's hand, he also spoke words that clearly and categorically said (1) the vice mayor is his choice ("matarong ug dil korap") and has the president's full support and (2) slammed Edgar's rival, Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Duterte did not name Tomas but the reference was unmistakable. "Buhi-i na ang mga tawo nga mogunit ninyo pipila na ka tuig nga mora'g despot, diktador nga wala sa lugar." He criticized the one-family rule that, Duterte said, treats Cebuanos "like... laborer (s)."
Mandaue as lone district
President Duterte has signed the bill creating a lone legislative district in Mandaue City, which means:
* The city will be taken out of the sixth legislative district, leaving only the towns and Consolacion and Cordova in that district.
* A plebiscite is not required as Congress under the Constitution decides on the creation of new legislative districts, as dictated by increase in the population of a province or city.
* The law does not affect the coming midterm election. Mandaue City can still vote for officials of Cebu province from governor to board member and, with Consolacion and Cordova, vote for their congressman or congresswoman. Nor will it affect the local elections in the city, from mayor to councilors.
The election for the House member representing the new district will be the next local election, which cannot mean the elections this May 13, as implementing rules of the law still have to be formulated by Comelec (within 30 days from the effectivity of the law) per provision of Representative Jonas Cortes's House bill. The campaign will end on Saturday and the ballots are already being distributed.
Slicing off District 6 parts
Emaciated already by the removal of Lapu-Lapu City in 2010, Cebu's sixth district now becomes leaner and almost skeletal, left only with two towns, Consolacion and Cordova. For 2022, the next local election after May 13, Mandaue City is being sliced off, with its own district and House member.
The Constitution requires a legislative district to be "compact, contiguous, and adjacent" but lawmakers think they can get away with that provision because of the phrase "as far as practicable."
After the removal of Mandaue City, from Consolacion, the sixth district town on the mainland, one has to cross two cities spanned by bridges to reach Cordova on Mactan island, the only other LGU that belongs to the district.
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