Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Duterte signs law creating lone district of Mandaue City

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law creating the lone district of Mandaue City.

This means that under Republic Act (RA) 11257 signed on April 5, 2019, Mandaue will no longer be the sixth legislative district of Cebu.

According to the law, copies of which were released to media on Wednesday, the City of Mandaue will operate as the lone legislative district in the next national and local elections, when the law becomes effective 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

The measure also mandated the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of the Act, within 30 days after its effectivity.

The incumbent representative of the present sixth legislative district of Cebu will continue serving Mandaue City until the new representative of the lone legislative district will be elected.

Earlier this year, Duterte also reapportioned the first legislative district of the province of South Cotabato to create the lone legislative district of General Santos City.

He also signed a measure splitting the province of Southern Leyte into two legislative districts.

https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-signs-law-creating-lone-district-of-mandaue-city/551369/

Mandaue City becoming a lone district will benefit Cordova and Consolacion

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The passing of the law making Mandaue City a lone district will benefit both the city and the Sixth District residual towns of Cordova and Consolacion.

Cebu Sixth District Representative Jonas Cortes, in a press conference on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, said that the passage of the lone district law will provide better project opportunities for Cordova and Consolacion since they would no longer need to share national budget with Mandaue City.

Cortes also shrugged off contentions that the lack of geographical continuity between the towns of Cordova and Consolacion will negatively affect the representation of the sixth district.

“Wala man na giprohibit kon dili sumpay. Nahiuna lang gyud og kahimong lone district ang Lapu-Lapu [City] unya karon ang Mandaue City. Consolacion and Cordova still qualify as residual towns in the Sixth District,” Cortes said.

(It is not prohibited for non-adjoining towns to belong to one district. Lapu-lapu City and Mandaue City, which used to be part of the sixth district, just became lone districts first but Consolacion and Cordova still qualify as residual towns in the sixth district.)

Cortes added that the making of Mandaue City as a lone district is long overdue because the city has long qualified for it since it is classified as a highly urbanized city (HUC).

Cortes said it might be time for the entire province, not only the city, to work on increasing the number of districts in order to have more representations in Congress.

By this time, Cortes said there should ideally be 14 to 15 district representations for the entire Cebu province.

Despite being signed last April, Cortes said the establishment of the new district would only take effect after the 2022 national elections.

This means that whoever wins the congressional race for the sixth district this May 13 would still represent Mandaue City and the two residual towns as sixth district representative.

All congressional candidates in the sixth district this midterm polls come from Mandaue City.

Even when the new districting takes effect, Mandaue City voters are still qualified to vote for provincial positions like the gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial posts unlike the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cebu, which are also classified as HUCs.

Cortes explained that voting for gubernatorial positions is specifically stipulated in the city’s charter passed in August 1969. /bmjo

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/232834/mandaue-city-becoming-a-lone-district-will-benefit-cordova-and-consolacion

Duterte signs law creating Mandaue City congressional district

By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a law converting Mandaue City in Cebu into a lone congressional district, according to a copy of the measure MalacaƱang released on Wednesday.

Signed on April 5, Republic Act 11257 mandates the separation of Mandaue from the province’s sixth legislative district, which shall commence in the next national and local elections after the effectivity of the law.

Under the law, the incumbent representative of the present sixth legislative district of Cebu province shall continue to represent the district until the new representative of the lone legislative district of the City of Mandaue shall have been elected and qualified.

The Commission on Elections has 30 days from the effectivity of the law to issue the necessary rules and regulations.

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on local government, said in February that converting Mandaue into a lone congressional district would mean additional fund for development projects.

Known as Cebu’s industrial heartland, Mandaue has a population of 365,144 people based on the 2015 census.

The 1987 Constitution provides that a locality with at least 250,000 residents should have one representative in Congress. —LBG, GMA News

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/693699/duterte-signs-law-creating-mandaue-city-congressional-district/story/

Duterte signs law creating lone legislative district of Mandaue City

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law an act creating the lone legislative district of Mandauae City in Cebu.

Duterte signed the law on April 5 but was released to the media only on Wednesday.

Under the new law, Mandaue City will be “separated from the Sixth Legislative District of the Province of Cebu to constitute the Lone Legislative District of the City of Mandaue, which shall commence in the next national and local elections.”

The law said the incumbent representative of the sixth legislative district of Cebu will continue to represent the said district until a new representative of the lone district of Mandaue City is elected.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1115211/duterte-signs-law-creating-lone-legislative-district-of-mandaue-city

Wellworth Properties breaks ground for P1 B Wyndham Hotel in QC

Real estate development firm Wellworth Properties and Development Corp. yesterday broke ground for the first Wyndham Garden Hotel in Quezon City, budgeted at P1 billion and targeted to open by the fourth quarter of 2021.

Wellworth managing director Harley Geraldine Pow told reporters during the groundbreaking ceremony the company is spending approximately P1 billion for the development of the first Wyndham Garden Hotel in the country, to be located along Eugenio Lopez Drive in Quezon City.

“This is going to be the showcase piece for the Philippines,” she said.

As Wyndham Garden is the upper-midscale band of the Wyndham Hotel Group and positioned as a three- to four-star hotel, the company is targeting businesses,  as well as entertainment firms ABS-CBN Corp. and GMA Network Inc., which are located near the hotel, as clients.

To be constructed by Wellworth’s parent company H.S. Pow Construction and Development Corp. on a 2,000-square meter (sqm) property,  the 25-story Wyndham Garden Hotel in Quezon City will have 235 rooms and feature other facilities such as an all-day dining cafe and bar, a 350-sqm grand ballroom with seating capacity up to 350 individuals, function rooms for meetings, indoor swimming pool, as well as a gym and spa.

Citing consumer interest for branded condotels as a form of investment, Pow said the company would be selling 40 percent or about 95 units of the Wyndham Garden Hotel under a sale and lease back agreement.

The units, covering 30 to 35, sqm ,will be offered for sale at about P5 million to P6 million each.

Pow said individuals who will purchase a condotel unit will have to sign a management contract allowing Wellworth to rent out the room and manage its day to day operations.

Investors will receive a condominium certificate title, get a share of the rental income every quarter, and be able to use the unit for free for around 10 to 15 nights per year.

“We’ll start pre-selling units in the fourth quarter of this year, when there are three or four stories,” she said.

She said the company is aiming to open the hotel by the fourth quarter of 2021.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/05/08/1915867/wellworth-properties-breaks-ground-p1-b-wyndham-hotel-qc

Duterte signs Mandaue’s lone district status

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed the law declaring Mandaue City as a lone district.

This announcement was contained in an official communication signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to Speaker Gloria Arroyo, dated April 5, 2019.

Republic Act Number 11257, authored by Rep. Jonas Cortes (Cebu, 6th district) and filed within the first three months of his current term, will separate the City of Mandaue from Cebu’s sixth legislative district, which includes Consolacion and Cordova.

“This development is good not just for Mandaue City, but is considered a victory for the entire Cebu because this will mean that we will have an additional representation, an additional voice, in Congress. That is why this bill has really been my priority when I assumed office as congressman,” said Cortes.

Cortes disclosed that since 1992, Mandaue was already qualified to become a lone district. Many district representatives before him had tried, but failed, to have this law passed.

He thanked Sen. Sonny Angara, who introduced the Senate version of the bill. Cortes is also thankful to the leaders of Cordova and Consolacion, as well as the barangay officials, who supported the passage of the bill during its public hearing in Congress.

“In my term as congressman, I have passed three significant laws that directly impact the lives of the people of the sixth district. I could never have done this without the support of our constituents, my fellow public servants in the district, especially Consolacion Mayor Nene Alegado and Cordova Mayor Teche Sitoy-Cho and the officials of Consolacion and Cordova and the Mandauehanons! Dili matugkad ang among kalipay sa pagkahimong kaugalingong distrito sa Mandaue (Our happiness cannot be measured that Mandaue is now a lone district). Ang among way kinutobang pasalamat ni (We’d like to extend our endless gratitude to) Sen. Sonny Angara, ang author sa Senate version sa bill (author of the bill’s Senate version), ug ni (and) President Duterte for granting us this privilege,” Cortes said.

This development, though, will not take effect yet for the upcoming electoral term. For next Monday’s elections, the voters will still be choosing a representative for what is currently the sixth district.

When this takes effect after the incoming term, Mandaue will have its own representative to Congress. This will mean better representation, especially in terms of pushing for projects for the city. In the same manner, Cortes explained, this will benefit Consolacion and Cordova, which will then have their own congressman. They won’t have to share with Mandaue whatever benefits their congressman will get from the national government, he said.

The news came on the heels of the fiesta of Mandaue City in honor of its patron saint, St. Joseph, and a few days before the local and national elections.

“I believe that the President heard of the clamor of Mandauehanons to finally make Mandaue a congressional district. This is an important step in propelling our city to greater heights. Mandauehanons are forever grateful to our beloved President for this,” added Cortes.

Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna echoed his sentiment.

“I’m happy that he (Duterte) signed it. Yes, it is beneficial, because the district funds can now be solely focused on Mandaue, especially infrastructure projects,” he told Superbalita Cebu. (PR with a report from FMD of SuperBalita Cebu, PJB)

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/duterte-signs-mandaue-lone-district-151400060.html