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[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’ Delay in Bacolod redistricting endorsement hit’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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Saturday, May 6, 2017
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BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia and the Sangguniang Panlungsod have not yet submitted their endorsement of the House bills seeking the redistricting of this capital city.
“I cannot understand why,” said Rep. Stephen Paduano of the Abang Lingkod party-list.
“We expect to hasten this move,” he stressed. “The redistricting is a campaign promise of the city officials. I cannot see any reason for the delay, especially since the officials now belong to one political party.”
Paduano and Rep. Greg Gasataya (Bacolod City, lone district) have filed separate bills dividing Bacolod into two districts.
The House of Representatives already created a technical working group to reconcile the bills and deliberated on them in March, before the Lenten break, said Paduano.
“We cannot continue the deliberation unless the city officials can submit the endorsement,” the party-list congressman said.
A similar measure, seeking the redistricting of Iloilo City, already hurdled the local government committee level, claimed Paduano.
The proponent managed to secure the required endorsements from the Iloilo City officials, the business sector and other stakeholders, he said.
Bacolod is very qualified for redistricting, Paduano said. “We were first to file the [bill] but, unfortunately, we were left behind.”
Citing the city’s increasing population, Gasataya filed House Bill No. 147, which seeks to divide the lone district into two.
On Feb. 15 the congressman separately wrote Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and the city council to ask for their stand.
Leonardia had said he will create a committee that will study the bill.
Councilor Caesar Dsitrito, chairman of the committee on laws, ordinances and good government, said his panel will hold a hearing on the House bill this month./PN
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