SC says San Jose del Monte can now have 2 seats in Sangguniang Panlalawigan

The Supreme Court has granted the petition of lawmaker Florida ''Rida'' Robes to allocate two seats for the lone district of San Jose del Monte (SJDM) in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bulacan. 

In a ruling penned by Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao, the SC stated that a writ of mandamus has been issued, directing the Commission on Elections to amend Section 6 of Resolution No. 10707 to conform with Section 41(b) of Republic Act No. 7160 in order to give two seats for SJDM in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

The SC argued that qualified voters have the right to elect their own representatives in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan as much as they have the right to be represented in the House of Representatives. 

According to the SC, Robes' petition has shown that the right of people to choose those who will govern them is ''primordial, sacred, and the bedrock of the nation's constitutional democracy.''

Robes, for her part, thanked the SC for granting her petition. 

She said this move could serve as an inspiration for other districts to push for the rights of their constituents in the electoral process.

''Tayo ay nagagalak sa naging desisyon ng Korte Suprema sa ating petisyon na naglalayong magbigay ng mas malakas na representasyon sa SJDM. This victory is for our dear San Joseños,'' Robes said in a separate press release. 

(We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court in our petition that aims to strengthen the representation of San Jose del Monte.)

''Through this decision, we are confident that the concerns and needs of every resident in SJDM will strongly be heard and will not go unnoticed,'' she added. —Anna Felicia Bajo/ VAL, GMA Integrated News