Benhur: 16 districts for Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Fourth District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon said that if Cebu now has a total population of close to four million people, then it is entitled to 16 representatives in the Lower House.

The law requires a 250,000-total population for a congressional district.

Cebu City will even qualify to have three congressmen for its population of 798,809 people based in 2007 census while Cebu Province has 2.5 million people, excluding the highly urbanized cities of Mandaue and Lapu-lapu.

This means Cebu Province can have 10 districts. There is now a clamour to make Mandaue City a separate district, after Lapu-lapu City.

But although Salimbangon supports the move for more districts, he admits the concern of most congressmen about local government units that would be detached from their current legislative territories.

Second District Rep. and Deputy House Speaker Pablo Garcia already filed a bill in Congress seeking to break his district of 15 towns into two districts.

Mandaue City officials are also urging Sixth District Rep. Gabriel Luis Quisumbing to file a bill that will create the city into a separate district.

Salimbangon said creating more districts has a great advantage in terms of resources coming from the National Government such as the Priority Development Assistance Fund of each of the congressmen.

During the meeting set by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Salimbangon said he will also discuss with his colleagues the issue on the unfair distribution of the national budget.

Rep. Pablo Garcia and other congressmen in the Visayas earlier protested the unequal distribution of the 2011 national budget.

Salimbangon said they have to make sure Visayas, especially Cebu, will get a fair share in the next national budget.

The former Cebu governor said the Visayan legislators felt injustice was committed because they were only given 7.7 percent of the budget and it will be divided by the three regions.

It was earlier reported that the Department of Budget and Management only allocated 7.7 percent or P126,051,115 for the Visayas while Mindanao would get 10 percent or P163,978,083 and Luzon will get 16.3 percent or P268,321,024. (FREEMAN)