Southern Leyte split into 2 congressional districts

This means Southern Leyte gets to elect two members to the House of Representatives in future elections

NO LONGER LONE DISTRICT. Southern Leyte will soon be able to elect two members of the House of Representatives.

Southern Leyte will soon have two members in the House of Representatives after President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law dividing the province into two legislative districts.

Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 11198 on Friday, February 1. Malacañang released the document to media on Monday, February 4.

Southern Leyte used to be a lone legislative district. Its two new districts are the following:

1st District

• Maasin City
• Macrohon
• Padre Burgos
• Limasawa
• Malitbog
• Tomas Oppus
• Bontoc

2nd District

• Sogod
• Libagon
• Liloan
• San Francisco
• Pintuyan
• San Ricardo
• Saint Bernard
• Anahawan
• San Juan
• Hinundayan
• Hinunangan
• Silago

The principal author of the House version of the law is Southern Leyte Representative Roger Mercado. The Mercados are the dominant political family in Southern Leyte, which also happens to be Duterte's birthplace.

Mercado had been a member of the Liberal Party back in 2016, but he openly supported Duterte's presidential candidacy, calling him a "fellow Maasinhon." Duterte was born in Maasin City.

Mercado's brother is Damian Mercado, the Southern Leyte governor who was dismissed by the Ombudsman in 2017 for "manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence" in awarding a contract for secondhand vehicles, according to a Philstar report.

Representative Mercado's son, meanwhile, is the mayor of Maasin City.

Effectivity

The law states that the new districts should be applied to "the next national and local elections after the effectivity of this Act."

This appears to refer to the upcoming May elections. However, since the period for filing of certificates of candidacy for congressional district posts has ended, it's not clear if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will include the two new districts. Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez said he has yet to receive word on "how will be treated."

Previously, Duterte and Congress worked to pass 4 other laws on new congressional districts. These include: two new districts for Isabela, new 8th District for Cavite, two new districts for Aklan and a congressional district for Calamba City.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/222643-southern-leyte-split-two-congressional-districts