Raul Sr. still pushing for redistricting of Iloilo City
For chief presidential legal counsel Raul Gonzalez Sr. the bid for the approval of the proposed bill reapportioning Iloilo City into two districts has not yet ended. He has written Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and several senators contesting the cold treatment of Senator Benigno “Noynoy Aquino”, chair of the committee on local government, on HB 4256 passed by his son Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr.
Gonzalez contested the response made by the committee on local government headed by Aquino on the proposed bill authored by Representative Raul Gonzalez Jr. “The committee has approved other redistricting bills such as in Camarines Sur while they have not acted on HB 4256,” Gonzalez Sr. lamented.
Aquino expressed his opposition on the proposed bill citing the city’s lack of population necessary in the creation of another congressional district. Based on the 2007 census of National Statistics Office, Iloilo City has only a population of 418,710. The Local Government Code states that it needs 250,000 population to create another congressional district.
Same letter stating his reaction on the non-approval of HB 4256 were addressed to Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri. The approval of the redistricting bill on Camarines Sur was made upon the intervention of Senator Joker Arroyo, said Gonzalez.
He lamented that Aquino assured him of his positive response to the proposed bill. “He came to my office for three times and assured the bill would be deliberated on its April 3, 2009 session,” Gonzalez said, adding that they also met at the Senate lounge and talked about the proposed bill.
Gonzalez said Senators Zubiri, Francis Pangilinan and several others gave their assurance to support the proposed redistricting bill once it is up for deliberation and approval. The older Gonzalez is counting on the support of the senators for the approval of the bill.
Further, Gonzalez said Aquino guaranteed that he will give the bill a chance and have it deliberated. He suspects Senator Franklin Drilon twisted Aquino’s decision by not acting on HB 4256.
The non-passage of HB 4256 would create a political rift between the Gonzalez’s and the camp of Mayor Jerry Treñas should the latter decides to run as congressman for Iloilo City against the younger Gonzalez. A group had launched a signature campaign pushing for Treñas’s candidacy as congressman.