Map of the first district of Cebu. | WIKICOMMONS PHOTO by Namayan
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A proposal to split Cebu’s first congressional district into two separate districts is being lobbied before Congress.
Rep. Rhea Gullas of the 1st district of Cebu confirmed that among the bills she filed at the House of Representatives was a plan to create an eighth district here.
The first district of Cebu province currently compromises three cities and three towns. These are the cities of Talisay, Naga and Carcar, and the municipalities of Minglanilla, San Fernando, and Sibonga.
Should the bill be passed into law, only Talisay City and Minglanilla will remain part of the province’s first district.
The cities of Naga and Carcar and the towns of San Fernando and Sibonga, on the other hand, will form part of the eighth district, said Gullas.
Gullas cited several reasons why she is pushing for the creation of an eighth district in Cebu.
These included growing population, and ‘the need to have a better representation’ before the national government. The latter could mean improvement in the delivery of essential services, and having a larger share of the national budget.
“I believe nga kung tunguan – dako ra kaayo ang 1st District. The 1st District, more or less, has a population of almost a million. So medyo dako-dako gyud siya. If you look at other districts, they only have 250 (thousand) to 300 (thousand),” Gullas told reporters in an interview on Tuesday, July 12, shortly after the inaugural session in Talisay City.
“So, I believe if tungaon na ang distrito with a near representative, mas maatiman and maalagad gyud ang katawhan,” she added.
The neophyte politician also said that she has since consulted the mayors in Cebu’s first district on the proposal.
“Padayun ang consultative type of leadership before everything else. Dili lang sa among grupo, apil sad ang mayors amo sad gikonsulta,” Gullas said.
The first district of Cebu is considered the largest among the province’s seven congressional districts.
Based on the 2020 census, the six local government units (LGUs) comprising it has a total combined population of 809,335, which already accounts for roughly 24 percent of the entire population of Cebu province.
Aside from the creation of an eighth district, Gullas, a neophyte politician, is also seeking to facilitate the cityhood of Minglanilla.
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