Solons laud Enrile's push for 100 more House members

MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile's proposal to create 100 more congressional districts is not only constitutional, it is also logical, three House members said Thursday. At the weekly forum in Quezon City, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, Muntinlupa City Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said Enrile's proposal to raise the maximum number of congressional districts from 250 to 350 as contained in Senate Bill 3123 was in line with the 1987 Constitution and in consonance with the needs of the times. Suarez said Enrile's proposal follows the constitutional provision saying there must be one representative for an area with a population of 250,000. "Sinusunod lang ni Senate President Enrile yung numbers at supposedly what the Constitution mandates [Enrile is just following the numbers]," he said. Suarez also said there was nothing wrong with creating more congressional districts, as having more legislators would likely pave the way for the crafting of more laws. Biazon, meanwhile, said Enrile's proposal was logical but suggested that the proposed measure also specify a timeline for the review of the number of House members. "We see the logic in the proposal of Senator Enrile," he said, although he noted that the number of congressmen should not be increased just out of convenience. Lagman also did not object to the proposal, but said there would not have been a need to create more congressional districts if the country had a comprehensive national policy on reproductive health. "I think that is the result of the population explosion. Had we enacted a rational, nationwide, comprehensive reproductive health bill, we shall address the population problem, there is no need to create additional congressional districts and new congressmen," he said. Lagman is the principal author of the controversial Reproductive Health bill, which is still in the period of sponsorship, debate, and amendments in the House. For his part, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he trusts that Enrile had a good reason for filing SB 3123. "I'm sure Senator Enrile, being an experienced government official and legislator, has a very good basis for it," Ermita said in a chance interview. Ermita noted, however, that the proposal still has to undergo scrutiny from members of both Senate and House. "Let’s just say it's a thought from a responsible political leader," he said. In filing Senate Bill 3123, Enrile said his measure would "ensure proper representation of our people in the legislature." He said the present composition of the House of Representatives does not comply with the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, which he said provides that 20 percent of the 250 House members should be party-list representatives. He also said the Constitution provides that the House shall be composed of not more than 250 members "unless otherwise fixed by law." Enrile said the latest population census conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in August 2007 showed that the country’s population has reached 88.57 million. With the annual growth rate of 2.04 percent, the country’s population is expected to reach 92.23 million before the end of the year. "Being a democratic and republican state, our very own people expect no less than proper representation in the government so that their voices will be heard, their concerns will be addressed and their rights will be protected," Enrile said. - GMANews.TV