• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Bacolod Lone District Rep. Alfredo Benitez has been requested by the Sangguniang Panlungsod to act on the redistricting of the highly-urbanized city.
“The redistricting of Bacolod into two legislative districts is necessary to ensure proportional representation in Congress, enhance accessibility to national government programs, and strengthen democratic participation through more localized representation,” stressed the resolution unanimously approved by the SP.
It requested Benitez “for the enactment of a law redistricting, or reapportioning the lone legislative district of Bacolod into two,” noting that such division “is expected to bring substantial economic benefits through increased congressional representation.”
This would enable greater access to national funding allocations, infrastructure programs, and other socioeconomic development initiatives that will benefit all constituents of Bacolod, the SP said.
Benitez had earlier said that the city’s redistricting will be among his top priorities once he assumes post in the 20th Congress, which will open today, July 28.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, who authored the resolution approved by the SP July 24, said the population of Bacolod has significantly surpassed the constitutional minimum of at least 250,000 for the creation of additional legislative districts.
The city’s population stood at 600,783, as of 2020, per the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The latest resolution is a reiteration of previous measures passed by the SP, and underscores its “consistent and long-standing position…in favor of redistricting,” Espino said.
The proposed redistricting is also consistent with the objectives of the Local Government Code and the national policy of decentralization and development planning at the local level, the SP said. | CGC
