Congress adds 4 districts in Cavite

MANILA, Philippines - Congress has increased the number of legislative districts in the populous province of Cavite from three to seven.

The towns of Dasmariñas, Imus and Bacoor were each constituted into a solo district, while the rest of the province was reconfigured into four districts.

As reconstituted, Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario, and Cavite City would now make up the first district, while Bacoor, Imus and Dasmariñas would comprise the second, third and fourth districts, respectively.

Carmona, General Mariano Alvarez and Silang would compose the fifth district; General Trias, Alfonso, Tanza, and Trece Martires City the sixth district; and Alfonso, General Aguinaldo, Indang, Magallanes, Maragondon, Mendez, Naic, Ternate, and Tagaytay City the seventh district.

Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga Jr., representative of the current second district, told The STAR yesterday that he would now run in the district of Dasmariñas, which he said would be converted into a city.

“We will hold the plebiscite for cityhood on Nov. 25,” he said.

In connection with the plebiscite, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has banned public works and the release, disbursement and expenditures of public funds in Dasmariñas until Nov. 28.

But the Comelec had given the mayor and barangay heads of Dasmariñas until last Nov. 3 to submit a certified list of ongoing projects in their respective areas.

Barzaga said his city, which has a population of 560,000, would be the largest of the seven legislative districts in the province.

Barzaga was three-term mayor of Dasmariñas before seeking a House seat in the 2007 elections. He defeated then incumbent Rep. Gilbert Remulla. His wife Jennifer is now the mayor of Dasmariñas.

Remulla said he might reclaim his seat in what remains of his original district or run in the new district of Imus, his family’s hometown.

His elder brother, Jesus Crispin, is the incumbent representative of the current third district, while Joseph Emilio Abaya represents the first district.

In terms of legislative representation, Cavite is now larger than Pangasinan, Manila and Negros Occidental, which have six districts each. It is only one district shy of Cebu province, which has eight, including two for Cebu City.

The new congressional constituencies in Cavite are among several districts Congress created before it went on a three-week Halloween break.

It divided Camarines Norte into two districts and split Camarines Sur’s first district into two constituencies. It also converted Malolos City in Bulacan into a solo district.

However, unlike the new congressional creations in Cavite, Bulacan and Camarines Norte, the new district in Camarines Sur is facing a constitutional challenge.

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo have asked the Supreme Court to declare the law splitting the first district unconstitutional.

The two argued that the splitting does not meet the population requirement of 250,000 per district prescribed by the Constitution since the remaining towns in the first district would have a population of 176,000 only.

Aquino, as chairman of the Senate committee on local government, refused to endorse the new district in Camarines Sur.

He supported the other new congressional constituencies since they met the population requirement prescribed by the Constitution.

Instead of piecemeal creation of additional districts, Aquino has proposed a general redistricting of the entire nation based on a new population standard.

The House now has 268 members, including 32 new party-list representatives recently added by the Supreme Court to the chamber’s membership.

Each member has an annual pork barrel allocation of P70 million. 

Speaker Prospero Nograles has filed a bill seeking to increase his chamber’s membership to 300, while Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has proposed that it be bloated to 350, although he subsequently withdrew his proposal.

Under the Constitution, 25 percent of the House membership should be reserved for party-list representatives. – With Sheila Crisostomo