Lawmaker wants Caloocan to have 2 new seats in Congress

As the third most populous city in Metro Manila, Caloocan City needs more than two seats in Congress to ensure its residents are sufficiently represented and served well, a lawmaker said.

Caloocan City Rep. Enrico “Recom” Echiverri has proposed the addition of two new districts to the first district he is currently representing by filing House Bill 5569.

The measure consequently provides for the creation of 12 Sangguniang Panlungsod seats from the reapportionment of the district.

The additional two districts will only be carved out effectively after the 2016 general elections should the bill be passed into law, Echiverri said.

“The composition of the current second legislative district shall not be affected by the reapportionment,” he said.

According to Echiverri, Caloocan City has had two districts since it was created more than half a century ago.

“In fact, these same two districts are already found in the 1987 Constitution, and have remained the same the last three decades,” he said.

Equitable representation

The 2010 Census revealed that Caloocan City has a population of 1,489,040, with more than two-thirds, or a population of 1,093,424, residing in the first district.

The population boom is attributed to the city’s designation as a relocation area since the 1970s.

“With the present set-up of having only two districts serving almost a million and a half constituents, Caloocan City is clearly under-represented. It needs at least four district for a more equitable representation and a reasonable delivery of basic services,” Echiverri said.

Section 5, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution provides that “each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory.  Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative.”

In contrast to Caloocan City, the top two most populous cities in the National Capital Region, Manila and Quezon City, have six districts each.

“Hence, it is imperative that the legislative representation of the First District of the city, both in the national government (House of Representatives) and the local government (Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Caloocan) be reapportioned, for a more equitable and reasonable representation,” Echiverri said.

Under the proposed reapportionment, the First Legislative District shall be composed of: (a) Barangay Nos. 1 to 4; (b) Barangay Nos. 77 to 85; and (c) Barangay Nos. 132 to 170. the Third Legislative District shall be composed of: (a) Barangay Nos. 171 to 175; and (b) barangay Nos. 177 and 178, while the Fourth District shall be composed of: (a) Barangay No. 176; and (b) Barangay Nos. 179 to 188.

If the redistricting proceeds, the first district’s population is expected to be reduced to 313, 624 as the proposed third district is seen to be comprised of 360,911 residents while the proposed Fourth District will have a population of 418,889.  —Xianne Arcangel/KBK, GMA News