CEBU, Philippines — Newly revived political party, Partido Panaghiusa, is pushing for two more congressional districts in Cebu City.
Lawyer Joey Daluz, party president, believes that the city is underrepresented in congress with only two congressmen. With a population of 1.1 million, Daluz said that Cebu City should now have at least four congressional seats.
According to Daluz, creating two more congressional districts in Cebu City would be a priority of Partido Panaghiusa if their candidates for congress will win in the 2022 elections. The party is supporting the candidacy of Councilor Niña Mabatid in the North District and Councilor Eduardo Rama in the South District.
Population is among the requirements for the reapportionment of legislative districts pursuant to Section 5, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution, which requires the minimum population of 250,000 per legislative district.
Based on the 2020 census, Cebu City has a population of 964,169, making it the fifth-most populated city in the country and the most populous in the Visayas.
“If modaog si Niña ug si Edu, atong himoon ang Cebu City og upat ka distrito. Qualified na ta, dinhi sa atoa, naa na ta’y 1.1 million residents unya ang requirement sa usa ka distrito kay 250,000 ra, so alkansi na ta sa uban actually,” Daluz said.
Daluz said the city needs more representations in Congress not only for political leverage but for more projects.
The idea of creating more congressional districts in Cebu City was first pushed by actor Richard Yap, who is running for congress in the North District.
Yap said, if he wins in the 2022 elections, he wants to focus more on the needs of the people in the mountain barangays especially in terms of health services and education. He believes that this can only be achieved if at least one more representation for Cebu City is added in Congress.
Daluz is also hopeful that the city will get an extra seat in Congress if the STL Partylist that his party is campaigning for will win. He said the said partylist will also bring in projects for the city.
“Kung makadaog ang STL, lima na ka mga kongresista ang maghatag og kaayohan sa siyudad ,” Daluz said.
One of the nominees of STL Partylist is former Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) administrator Yvonne Cania. – FPL (FREEMAN)