Camarines Norte, Lapu-Lapu City, and Iligan City have 1 each

After creating a new but unqualified district in Camarines Sur, supposedly to accommodate her son’s political plans, President Arroyo signed 4 laws that create 7 additional districts in other provinces that meet the population requirement in the Constitution.

The new districts, most of them in the densely populated province of Cavite, bring to 230 the total number of congressional districts and cement Ms. Arroyo’s record as the Chief Executive who has created the most number of districts.

The new laws will be effective 15 days after their publication in a general circulation newspaper. The new districts, which expands the number of available elective positions in the affected localities, have been created in time for next month’s deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacies.

According to copies of the redistricting laws obtained by Newsbreak, there will be 4 new districts in Cavite, 1 in Camarines Norte, and separate districts for the cities of Iligan (in Lanao del Norte) and Lapu-Lapu (in Cebu).

Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao

Arroyo signed on October 20 Republic Act 9724, which created a lone legislative district for Iligan City. Iligan used to be part of Lanao del Norte’s first district. The remaining towns of  Bacolod, Baroy, Kauswagan, Kolambugan, Linamon, Maigo, Tubod will compose the new first district of Lanao del Norte.

On the same day, Arroyo signed RA 9725 that split the lone congressional district of Camarines Norte into two. The new districts are:

• First district - municipalities of Capalonga, Jose Panganiban, Labo, Paracale, and Sta. Elena.
• Second district – municipalities of Basud, Daet, Mercedes, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente, Talisay, and Vinzons.

On October 22, Arroyo signed RA 9726, which separated Lapu-Lapu City from the sixth district of the province of Cebu. Lapu-Lapu City was converted into a highly urbanized city in 2007 and has a population of 292,530 as of August 2007. As a result of this creation, the sixth district is now composed of Mandaue City and the towns of Consolacion and Cordoba.

Cavite: from 3 to 7

Arroyo also signed RA 9727, which reapportioned the province of Cavite into 7 legislative districts. Cavite, which has a population of around 2.8 million, used to have 3 legislative districts. The new districts of Cavite are as follow:

• First district – municipalities Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario, and Cavite City.
• Second district - municipality of Bacoor.
• Third district – municipality of Imus.
• Fourth district – municipality of Dasmariñas.
• Fifth district – municipalities of General Mariano Alvarez, Carmona, and Silang.
• Sixth district - municipalities  of Gen. Trias, Tanza, Amadeo, and Trece Martirez City.
• Seventh district – Alfonso, Gen. Aguinaldo, Indang, Magallanes, Maragondon, Mendez, Naic, Ternate, and Tagaytay City

The 1987 Constitution initially sets the number of legislative districts at 200. Since then, 30 additional districts have been added. Of the 30 additional districts, 20 were created under the Arroyo administration.

Section 5-3, Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution mandates that that a city with a population of 250,000 shall have at least 1 representative.

The 1987 Constitution’s Ordinance, which initially set the number of congressional districts at 200, also says that provinces or cities that have more than 250,000 residents shall be entitled to at least one representative or more, depending on its population in the immediately following election.

Qualified

Newsbreak earlier reported that bills pending in Congress are proposing 18 new districts, but only 8 of them are qualified, having met the constitutional requirements of having a population of at least 250,000 and being composed of contiguous land.

The new district in Camarines Sur is not among the qualified districts, failing to meet the minimum population requirement. The said district, where President Arroyo’s son Dato will be running in 2010, was nevertheless approved ahead of the other proposed districts. The law that created it is now being questioned before the Supreme Court.

Of the 7 new districts approved by President Arroyo, 6 were on Newsbreak’s earlier list of qualified districts. We didn’t mention Iligan City because the remaining district in Lanao del Norte after Iligan is carved out would have a population of less than 250,000. Updated statistics, however, showed later that both Iligan and the rest of the current district have met the population requirement.

Based on Newsbreak research, the proposed districts in Pangasinan and Angeles City are qualified but the corresponding bills have yet to be approved.  (Newsbreak)

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