LAST Tuesday’s Lapsus Calami stated: “Under the law, one congressional representative is needed for every 250,000 inhabitants to ensure that a city or a province is given adequate voice in Congress.”
In the 2020 Census of Population and Housing, Bacolod City already had a population of 600,783. This means it is already eligible for two congressmen/congressional districts.
The Constitution (Article VI Section 5(3)) says: “Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative.”
Bacolodnons have been here before. Around 2010, the population of Bacolod City was somewhat over 500,000. Therefore, said some, it should have two representatives. The Constitution as described above does not specify this. There is no confirmation of two representatives. Eventually the 2010 case died down and Bacolod has since had one representative only.
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Article VI Section 5 has quite a lot to say about composition of the House of Representatives.
For example, Section 5(1) says “The House of Representatives shall be composed of not more than two hundred and fifty members, unless otherwise fixed by law, who shall be elected from legislative districts apportioned among the provinces, cities, and the Metropolitan Manila area in accordance with the number of their respective inhabitants, and on the basis of a uniform and progressive ratio, and those who, as provided by law, shall be elected through a party-list system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organizations.”
Section 5(4) may be timely. It says: “Within three years following the return of every census, the Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative district based on the standards provided in this section.”
Our burgeoning population, where the last census showed that the population is now slightly over 110 million, will produce challenges for the equitable preparation of legislative districts.
For example, if it is agreed that one congressional representative is needed for every 250,000 inhabitants, then 110 million inhabitants would need 440 congressmen! If we then add party-list members, we would have an overcrowded and currently constitutionally unacceptable House.
What to do?/PN
