Samsam not supporting Cebu first district split

CEBU, Philippines - While some Cebuano leaders including Governor Hilario Davide III approve of splitting the first congressional district, Representative Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas is not, at least for now.

“Maybe we could leave the district as it is...but maybe in due time,” Gullas said when interviewed by reporters.

Gullas, however, said he is open to the idea but there must be a study conducted before anyone in Congress should propose to split the district.

In earlier interviews, first district mayors like Nice Apura of Carcar City, Val Chiong of the City of Naga and Lani Peña of Minglanilla did not agree to the idea of dividing the district in two, saying it’s too small to be split up.

Apura said redistricting creates more towns and this makes it more taxing for congressmen when they do their regular visits. He said the first district only has three cities and three towns, which can be traveled in less than an hour from end to end.

Talk of dividing some of Cebu’s big districts sparked anew when the House of Representatives approved the proposal to split the second district. This district has 15 towns.

Davide, who supports the redistricting moves, said there are other districts that need to be divided and among them is the first as it has three progressive cities: Talisay, Naga and Carcar.

The purpose of splitting up big districts is for aspiring congressmen to get a chance to serve and for local government units to get their fair share of their congressmen’s attention, he said.

The governor added that if there is funding from the national government like the defunct Priority Development Assistance Fund, the two new districts would get one share apiece instead of having to divide it among themselves, which would be the case in only one district. Each congressman used to have a P70-million annual PDAF until it was abolished last year.

Gullas, albeit a newbie, said he tries to do his part as a congressman of the six local government units in his district.

“In terms of focus, I’m confident I’m focusing my job as a congressman,” he said. - /BRP (FREEMAN)