The Senate, with a vote of 23 affirmative, zero negative and zero abstention, approved on third and final reading the bill reapportioning the second district of Rizal into three legislative districts.
House Bill No. 6222 aims to retain part of the second district of Rizal, composed of the Municipalities of Cardona, Baras, Tanay, Morong, Jalajala, Pililla, and Teresa, and establish the Municipality of San Mateo as the third congressional district; and the municipality of Rodriguez as the fourth legislative district of the province.
“It is hoped that the proper representation will help the local government units involved to better respond to the needs of the people.”
Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino, chairman of the Committee on Local Government and sponsor of the bill said that with this measure, “it is hoped that the proper representation will help the local government units involved to better respond to the needs of the people and also help facilitate in the long-term rehabilitation and the capacity building efforts of the province following this pandemic”.
“The call for apportionment is not only based on today’s realities but also a resounding echo from the past, recognizing the unique histories of the towns which have molded and shaped the growth and character of the localities and the residents therein,” Tolentino added.
“The qualifications for the reapportionment have been met.”
The legislator said that the qualifications for the reapportionment have been met given that the new 2nd district has a population of 449,103; San Mateo (3rd district) has a population of 252,527; and Rodriguez (4th district) has a population of 369,222.
According to Article VI, Section 5 of the Constitution each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory; and a locality with at least 250,000 residents is entitled to one representative in the House of Representatives.
During the consideration of the bill on second reading, Majority Leader Migz Zubiri, and Senators Pia Cayetano, Win Gatchalian, Dick Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Kiko Pangilinan, Koko Pimentel III, and Joel Villanueva, requested to be made co-sponsors of the bill.
The House of Representatives passed the same measure on 1 June 2020.
Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles is the author of House Bill No. 6222, which aims to reapportion his district.
“While it is a fulfilling challenge trying to serve the 2nd District, the reality is that as is, our resources always have to be stretched thin so that it could reach our more than one million constituents, which amounts to over half of Rizal’s entire population,” Nograles said.
He added that, “additional representation equals additional resources, which would lead to a much more equitable distribution of government services to the people of Rizal.”