Iloilo City redistricting ‘blocker’ firms up position
Asks SC to declare Camarines Sur redistricting ‘unconstitutional’
Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who was accused by former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. of sitting down on the proposed redistricting of Iloilo City, yesterday formally filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) asking to declare as “unconstitutional” the recently signed Republic Act 9716, which creates a new congressional district in Camarines Sur province.
Aquino, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government and the presidential bet of the Liberal Party (LP), said that RA 9716 did not comply with the population requirement for the creation of a new legislative district, the same argument he raised in opposing the division of Iloilo City into two districts.
Aquino cited Article VI, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution, which states that those who shall be elected from congressional districts should be in accordance with the number of constituents.
In the case of Camarines Sur one of its districts will be divided into two such that one district will be that with a population of 250,000 and the other one with a population of 170,000.
Aquino said that this was 80,000 people short of complying with the 250,000 population requirement for the creation of a congressional district.
A similar contention was raised by Aquino relative to the case of Iloilo City since based on the 2007 NSO census the city has only a population of 418,710.
The Local Government Code states it needs 250,000 population to create another congressional district.
Earlier, Gonzalez Sr. accused Aquino of sitting down on the House Bill 4256, a bill Reapportioning Iloilo City into two districts, passed by his son Iloilo City Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr.
The elder Gonzalez believes Aquino was influenced by Ilonggo Senator Franklin Drilon who is his political opponent.
Gonzalez Sr. warned that he will not support Aquino’s presidential bid because of the failure of the redistricting bill to pass the Senate.
Gonzalez Sr. lamented that Aquino let the redistricting of Camarines Sur pass while it left out that of Iloilo City.
Meanwhile, Atty. Dan Cartagena, convenor of the Noynoy Aquino for President Movement in Iloilo City, strongly believes the senator did not assure Gonzalez Sr. the approval of the redistricting bill.
Cartagena, in earlier interview, stressed it is impossible for the senator to give the go signal for the approval of a bill which is unconstitutional and illegal. He said it may be true that Aquino went to Gonzalez’s office to discuss the proposed bill but it does not mean that he assured its approval. Maybe his visit to Gonzalez’s office is his “polite way” of saying no to the proposal, said Cartagena.
It was Cartagena and his group who spearheaded the campaign against the approval of the HB 4256. On August 21, 2008, he along with former Councilor Joshua Alim and several others signed a manifesto opposing the approval of the proposed bill. (With a report from PNA)
