The Senate has approved a bill dividing the first and second legislative district of Rizal to four districts.
With 23 votes, the senators adopted House Bill 6222 approved in June 2020.
The bill splits the First and Second District into four with the following division of towns:
- First Legislative District–Rodriguez and San Mateo
- Second Legislative District–Cainta and Taytay
- Third Legislative District–Angono and Binangonan
- Fourth Legislative District - Cardona, Baras, Tanay, Morong, Jala-jala, Pililia, Teresa
Senator Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government and sponsor of the bill, noted that the measure “will help the local government units involved to better respond to the needs of the people and 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 pointed out.
In addition, Tolentino said that the qualifications for the reapportionment have been met, given that the first district has a population of 621,749, second district has a population of 641,232, the new third district has a population of 395,757 the fourth district has a population of 449,103.
Article VI, Section 5 of the Constitution states that each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. A locality with at least 250,000 residents is entitled to one representative in the House of Representatives.
Aside from Tolentino, other authors of the bill in the Senate include Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Pia Cayetano, Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel III and Joel Villanueva.—LDF, GMA News
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