On March 21, 2023, I wrote about the situation in Bacolod City where there were those who believed that the smiling denizens are entitled to a second congressional representative. My reply drew from the Constitution which does not mention a second Member.
Nevertheless, this is an issue which needs further input.
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Some of the problems arise from the fact that when the Constitution was passed in 1987, the Philippine population was around 60 million. By 2020, it had risen to 110 million. There are currently 312 members of the House of Representatives.
The Constitution (Article VI Section 5(2)) specifies, âThe party-list representatives shall constitute twenty percent of the total number of representatives including those under the party list.â This corresponds to 260 members elected according to geographical representation and 52 according to party-list criteria.
Furthermore, the Constitution asserts in Section 5(4), âWithin three years following the return of every census, the Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts.â Since the last census was three years ago, this means that the reapportionment is now due.
A population of 110 million to be divided into 260 seats based on geography suggests an average of approximately 425,000 people for each seat. If Bacolod City, with a lone representative, now has a population of 600,000, then this suggests that redistricting is now timely.
Geographical boundaries should be changed so that the lone city of Bacolod should be reduced in size. Clearly, this would also mean that some Barangays should not be included.
Does this create an insurmountable problem?/PN
