Senate OKs new CamSur district on 2nd reading

The Senate on Wednesday approved on second reading a bill allowing the creation of a new district in Camarines Sur province - a move seen to benefit presidential son Diosdado "Dato" Arroyo, the incumbent congressman of the province's first district. Senators who are members of the Liberal Party (LP) - Senators Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Manuel Roxas, Rodolfo Biazon and Francis Pangilinan - all voted against House Bill 4264. Roxas, LP's vice presidential bet in next year's elections, thanked Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri for acknowledging that all the LP members voted against the bill. “I just wish to thank the majority leader for clearly stating and putting on Senate record that it was the members of the Liberal Party who were opposed to this creation of an additional district in Camarines Sur to favor somebody who is from Pampanga," Roxas said, referring to Rep. Arroyo. Under the bill, the first district will be divided into two - one with a population of 250,000 and the second 170,000. This is 80,000 people short of complying with the 250,000 population requirement for a congressional district. Oppositors of the bill suspect that the redistricting is being pushed to accommodate Rep. Arroyo. The district's former congressman, current Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, is rumored to be planning to run for Congress again. It was the younger Arroyo who replaced Andaya, who was the district's representative for three consecutive terms - the limit of stay of congressmen under the Constitution. Aquino, LP's standard bearer in the 2010 elections, was the main oppositor of the bill even though he is the chairman of the local government committee, the panel in charge of bills on new districts. He also refused to defend the bill due to non-compliance with the population requirement, forcing Senator Joker Arroyo, an advocate of the bill, to sponsor and explain it on the floor. Aquino had said that Article VI Section 5, sub-sections 1 and 3, of the Constitution states those who shall be elected from legislative districts should be in accordance with the number of inhabitants. Other senators however denied that the measure is being pushed to benefit Rep. Arroyo. "It is not about being in the administration or the opposition. It is about whether that said province should have an extra congressman or not," said Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, adding that he would support the opposition candidate in the said district. Sen. Richard Gordon insisted on the right of the Camarines Sur people to choose their leader. "This was debated very, very extensively here. I voted because I believe the gentleman from Bicol has every right to represent his district and I’m very sure that they can add another district after all," he said, referring to Sen. Arroyo. Gordon, noting the slow economic development of Bicol, added that "one congressman will certainly allow more development in the area." - GMANews.TV