By CESAR JOLITO III
Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has reaffirmed his commitment to refile a bill that would divide the highly urbanized city into two congressional districts, a move that aims to boost political representation and accelerate access to national development programs.
“Still, I’m firmly committed to pushing through with Bacolod’s redistricting. We will file a new bill to divide the city into two districts,” Benitez said.
“With the start of the new Congress, all previously filed bills reset to zero,” he said.
His renewed pledge follows the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s (SP) unanimous approval of a resolution urging him to pursue the redistricting measure.
Benitez, who begins his term in the 20th Congress, expressed optimism that both the Senate and President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. will recognize the necessity of the proposed law.
He added that his office will also prioritize oversight through resolutions to ensure the effective implementation of national laws and help address the socioeconomic challenges facing Bacolodnons.
The SP resolution, authored by the committee on laws chair, Councilor Al Victor Espino, underscored the urgency and constitutional basis of creating two legislative districts.
The city council said Bacolod’s ballooning population — which reached 600,783 in the 2020 census, more than double the constitutional requirement of 250,000 — justifies the creation of an additional congressional district.
Bacolod’s current population far exceeds that threshold, making it constitutionally qualified for redistricting.
“The redistricting of Bacolod into two legislative districts is necessary to ensure proportional representation in Congress, enhance accessibility to national government programs, and strengthen democratic participation through more localized representation,” the SP resolution emphasized.
The proposal is aligned with the goals of the local government code and the national policy of decentralization and localized planning, the SP added.
Espino said the bill will also help unlock greater access to national funding, infrastructure and socioeconomic development projects.
The resolution also reaffirmed Bacolod’s “consistent and long-standing” stance in favor of redistricting, echoing similar efforts made in previous years.
Strong voice
Meanwhile, Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya also voiced strong support for the city’s redistricting, as he first filed a similar bill during his initial term as lone district representative in 2016.
“This move is long overdue. With the city’s growing population and development, we need greater representation in Congress to match our needs,” Gasataya said.
However, he noted that despite multiple attempts, past House leaderships did not act on the proposed measure.
If the bill is approved by Congress and signed into law, Bacolod would be entitled to two seats in the House of Representatives, allowing for more focused representation and increased opportunities for national support in key areas such as healthcare, education, housing, and infrastructure.
The bill seeks to create the first and second legislative districts of Bacolod by apportioning the 61 barangays comprising the city’s lone district.
The first legislative district will comprise Barangays 1 to 31, 33, 41, Alangilan, Banago, Bata, Estefania, Granada, Mandalagan, Monte Vista, Villamonte, and Vista Alegre.
Barangays 32, 34 to 40, Alijis, Cabug, Felisa, Handumanan, Mansilingan, Pahanocoy, Punta Taytay, Singcang, Sum-ag, Taculing, and Tangub will comprise the Second Legislative District.
The redistricting has been proposed since 2016, but the former city councilors failed to pass a resolution manifesting support for the bill./CJ, WDJ