Southern Leyte solon re-elected in one district but will represent two

Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado shot two birds with one stone.

He won in his re-election bid last May 13, but will now sit as congressman for two congressional districts of the province.

At the resumption of regular sessions on Monday, the House of Representatives named Mercado, now congressman-elect of the first district of Southern Leyte, acting congressman of the newly created second congressional district. The lone district of Southern Leyte was recently split into two congressional districts under the newly signed law Republic Act No. 11198.

Mercado, former chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Reforms, won over Lakas-CMD congressional bet Gerardo Dator during the May 13 polls. Mercado represents the PDP-Laban.

Majority Leader and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro said Mercado will sit as representative of both the first and second district until a congressman representing the latter has been elected.

Mercado said he did not expect a new congressman in the second district to be elected before the opening of the 18th Congress, although he proposed the holding of an election to fill the vacant congressional seat.

Mercado said he will be representing the first district that is composed of Maasin City, Machrohon, Padre Burgos, Limasawa, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, and Bontoc.

To be elected in a still unscheduled special election is the congressman who will represent the second congressional district comprising the municipalities of Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, Saint Bernard, Anahawan, San Juan, Hinunduyan, Hinunangan, and Silago.

Mercado, who belongs to the dominant political family in the province, authored the bill that created the new congressional district.

His brother, Damian, won a re-election as governor, winning by nearly 100,000 margin over closest rival, Lakas-CMD’s Mike Maamo.

RA 11198 provides that the two congressional districts should be effective in the “next national and local elections after the effectivity” of the law that was signed on February, 2019.

Since the filing of candidacy for the 2019 elections lapsed last November, election for the second district of Southern Leyte will have to be conducted in another date.