Rizal solon wants province’s 2nd district split into three

A lawmaker from Rizal has filed a House bill seeking to split the legislative district he represents into three.

In House Bill 336, Representative Felipe Nograles proposed that the province's 2nd District be split into three separate districts, bringing the number of legislative districts in the province to six from the current four.

Nograles said that it is necessary for the second district of Rizal to be split into three "to afford the constituents of the district with proper and effective representation in the House of Representatives to meet their respective and distinct needs and requirements."

Currently, there are four legislative districts in Rizal: Antipolo 1st District, Antipolo 2nd District, Rizal 1st District and Rizal 2nd District.

The second district is presently composed of the towns of Baras, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililla, Rodriguez (Montalban), San Mateo, Tanay and Teresa.

In Nograles' bill, the new Rizal 2nd District would be composed of the towns of Cardona, Baras, Tanay, Morong Jala-Jala, Pililia, and Teresa.

The town of San Mateo would be the third legislative district, while Rodriguez (Montalban) would be the province's fourth legislative district.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Nograles said the population of Rizal 2nd District has risen from 533,299 in 2000 to 1,070,852 in 2015.

Montalban's population in particular has risen by 221 percent in 15 years, while San Mateo's jumped by 86 percent, he added.

Nograles also said that areas in his district have varying characteristics, features and qualities.

He said that the seven eastern towns of Baras, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililia, Tanay, and Teresa are mostly rural in nature, with their residents' main source of livelihood being agriculture, and their residential spaces separated by farms, planes and mountainous areas.

On the other hand, San Mateo is metropolitan in nature, while Montalban is dominated by mountains and slopes, with a portion of it sharing characteristics with the urban nature of Metro Manila, he added.

"Different characteristics mean different constituents will have different needs. These will be better addressed if they have proper representation––representation that will be possible with the redistricting of Rizal's second district," Nograles said. — BM, GMA News