KALIBO, Aklan – The bill seeking to divide Aklan into two legislative districts is now pending at the Senate.
This was after the House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 7522 on its third and final reading on May 28.
A total of 239 House members voted in favor of the bill. No one voted against it. There were no abstentions, too.
On May 29, the House transmitted the bill to Senate’s committee on local government chaired by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara.
The proponents of the redistricting bill said Aklan satisfies the constitutional requirement of having two legislative districts, citing Section 5, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution that requires one legislative representative for a population of at least 250,000 inhabitants.
The proposed 1st district is composed of Kalibo, New Washington, Banga, Batan, Altavas, Balete, Libacao, and Madalag with a total population of about 297,318.
The proposed 2nd district, on the other hand, is composed of Buruanga, Malay, Nabas, Ibajay, Tangalan, Makato, Numancia, Lezo, and Malinao with a population of about 277,505.
The populations in two proposed congressional districts were based on the 2015 census of the government.
In 2015, the Senate failed to pass the Aklan redistricting bill during the final days of the legislative session before the deadline of the filing of candidacy for the May 2016 local elections, the reason that the bill was re-filed. (With Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
