by YNA SIPELIMO, July 27, 2019 Among the top 10 provinces in the Philippines, Rizal has the fewest number of representatives in the House ...
July 27, 2019
Among the top 10 provinces in the Philippines, Rizal has the fewest number of representatives in the House of Representatives, with only four legislators representing close to 2.9 million Rizaleños.
This, argues Rizal Second District Rep. Fidel Nograles, is the rationale behind his proposal to split Rizal’s second legislative district into three separate districts, “to afford the constituents of the district with proper and effective representation in the House of Representatives to meet their respective and distinct needs and requirements.”
“On the average, the 10 most populous provinces in the country have six representatives each in the House of Representatives. The province of Cebu, including its cities, have 10 representatives in Congress representing 4.6 million people, or a ratio of around 1:460,000,” said Nograles.
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“In Rizal you have four legislators representing around 2.9 million people, or a ratio of one for every 721,000 people. In terms of population, Rizal has roughly the same population as Pangasinan and Batangas, but these provinces have six legislative districts each. The disparity, I believe, is self-evident,” stressed the first-termer.
In House Bill No. 336, Nograles, who is a lawyer, proposes that his current district, consisting of the municipalities of Baras, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililla, Rodriguez (Montalban), San Mateo, Tanay and Teresa be split into three separate legislative districts.
The new Second Legislative District would be composed of the towns of Cardona, Baras, Tanay, Morong Jala Jala, Pililia, and Teresa. The town of San Mateo would be the Third Legislative District, while Rodriguez (Montalban) would be the province’s Fourth Legislative District.
The additional districts would give the province of Rizal a total of six legislative districts, which currently has four districts (Antipolo First District, Antipolo Second District, Rizal First District, and Rizal Second District).
According to Nograles, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveal that the population of Rizal’s second district has doubled between 2000 and 2015, from 533,299 to 1,070,852.
“In Montalban, the population increased by 221% in 15 years, while San Mateo experienced an 86% jump in its population. Now Montalban has a population of 369,222, while San Mateo has a population of 252,527,” said the Harvard and Ateneo School of Law alumnus.
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Aside from demographics issues, Nograles explained that his district is composed of non-contiguous areas with characteristics, features and qualities different from each other.
Nograles said the seven eastern towns of Baras, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililia, Tanay and Teresa share similar characteristics, given that these towns are principally rural in nature. The main source of livelihood of the people in these towns is agriculture, and their residential spaces are separated by farms, plains and mountainous areas.
“The town of San Mateo, on the other hand, is distinctively metropolitan in nature, sharing in the urban growth of Metro Manila. The residential spaces in San Mateo are packed together with commercial structures. As for Rodriguez (Montalban), it is dominated by mountains and slopes, which is ideal for agricultural purposes. However, a portion of the municipality shares characteristics with the urban agglomeration of Metro Manila,” added Nograles.
“Different characteristics mean different constituents will have different needs. These will be better addressed if they have proper representation––representation that will be possible with the redistricting of Rizal’s second district.”
This, argues Rizal Second District Rep. Fidel Nograles, is the rationale behind his proposal to split Rizal’s second legislative district into three separate districts, “to afford the constituents of the district with proper and effective representation in the House of Representatives to meet their respective and distinct needs and requirements.”
“On the average, the 10 most populous provinces in the country have six representatives each in the House of Representatives. The province of Cebu, including its cities, have 10 representatives in Congress representing 4.6 million people, or a ratio of around 1:460,000,” said Nograles.
“In Rizal you have four legislators representing around 2.9 million people, or a ratio of one for every 721,000 people. In terms of population, Rizal has roughly the same population as Pangasinan and Batangas, but these provinces have six legislative districts each. The disparity, I believe, is self-evident,” stressed the first-termer.
In House Bill No. 336, Nograles, who is a lawyer, proposes that his current district, consisting of the municipalities of Baras, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililla, Rodriguez (Montalban), San Mateo, Tanay and Teresa be split into three separate legislative districts.
The new Second Legislative District would be composed of the towns of Cardona, Baras, Tanay, Morong Jala Jala, Pililia, and Teresa. The town of San Mateo would be the Third Legislative District, while Rodriguez (Montalban) would be the province’s Fourth Legislative District.
The additional districts would give the province of Rizal a total of six legislative districts, which currently has four districts (Antipolo First District, Antipolo Second District, Rizal First District, and Rizal Second District).
According to Nograles, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reveal that the population of Rizal’s second district has doubled between 2000 and 2015, from 533,299 to 1,070,852.
“In Montalban, the population increased by 221% in 15 years, while San Mateo experienced an 86% jump in its population. Now Montalban has a population of 369,222, while San Mateo has a population of 252,527,” said the Harvard and Ateneo School of Law alumnus.
Aside from demographics issues, Nograles explained that his district is composed of non-contiguous areas with characteristics, features and qualities different from each other.
Nograles said the seven eastern towns of Baras, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililia, Tanay and Teresa share similar characteristics, given that these towns are principally rural in nature. The main source of livelihood of the people in these towns is agriculture, and their residential spaces are separated by farms, plains and mountainous areas.
“The town of San Mateo, on the other hand, is distinctively metropolitan in nature, sharing in the urban growth of Metro Manila. The residential spaces in San Mateo are packed together with commercial structures. As for Rodriguez (Montalban), it is dominated by mountains and slopes, which is ideal for agricultural purposes. However, a portion of the municipality shares characteristics with the urban agglomeration of Metro Manila,” added Nograles.
“Different characteristics mean different constituents will have different needs. These will be better addressed if they have proper representation––representation that will be possible with the redistricting of Rizal’s second district.”
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