House urged to pass Malolos lone district
MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan — Long delays in the passage of House Bill 655, an act that will transform this historic capital city into a lone congressional district, is now creating an uproar among residents here who are now calling on the Committee on Local Government of the House of Representatives to support the proposed measure filed by Bulacan 1st District Rep. Ma. Victoria R. Sy-Alvarado.
The residents claimed that they are wondering why the Committee on Local Government has been “sleeping’ too long in taking cognizance of HB 0655 (an Act amending Section 57 of Republic Act No. 8754, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Malolos), even if the required population of 250,000 has already been met since 2014.
Mostly village chiefs in this city particularly in Barangay Caniogan, village chief Priscilla Mateo, said that the passage of HB 0655 will usher more growth since they will have their own representative in Congress that will solely focus on the needs of the 51 barangays in the booming historic capital city
“We are calling on Congress to heed our call and be responsible in looking after the welfare of our city. Let not those with personal agenda move to block progress and development of our great city,” Mateo said.
The village chief said that as far as their village and her constituents is concern they want the bill to materialize as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, former Barangay Tikay chairman Alejandro “Jhun” Joson Jr., who has served his village for 14 years as barangay chairman, said that the historic capital city of Malolos is fast becoming a highly urbanized city thus it is high time that it becomes a lone congressional district.
“It is about time that Malolos be given its proper recognition as a lone district, especially on account of its great contribution to Philippine independence and democracy,” Joson said.
He added that if there are some people who wants to derail the progress of Malolos, they should do it on their own areas.
“Ang masakit nito, yaong mga taong nais na humadlang at nakikialam dito ay hindi naman talaga na taga Malolos (What’s painful is that those blocking and interfering with this bill are not even originally from Malolos),” Joson lamented.
Residents recalled that no less that President Aquino and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas vouched for and defended the conversion of Malolos into a lone congressional district when they were still senators of the 14th Congress.
What is mind-boggling for residents here is the apparent cold shoulder treatment on the importance of the bill when, in fact, they claimed that even the Supreme Court (SC) has already stated that “a mere justification from the National Statistic Office (now the Philippine Statistics Authority) is sufficient enough to merit the passage of the bill converting the historic city of Malolos into a lone congressional district.”
Last Wednesday, Rep.Sy-Alvarado delivered a speech in congress questioning the delay in the hearing of her bill.
She said she even asked the House Speaker that “this representation would like to know if the Committee on Local Government is much higher than the decision of the Supreme Court.”
The Supreme Court said that a mere certification from the National Statistician.
When the speaker asked the committee, the reply was that Malolos has not yet officially met the requirement in population (250,000).
Sy-Alvarado reaffirmed that based on the census conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the number of residents in Malolos is already 263,378, thus, surpassing the required number of 250,000 by 13,378.
The PSA also sent Sy-Alvarado the statistical tables on the 2010 census-based population projections by five-year age group, sex and single calendar year for 2010 to 2020 and by five-calendar for 2010 to 2045.
The PSA stated in their response to the request of Sy-Alvarado that they have prepared estimates of the population of the City of Malolos as follows: Year 2014, the estimated population of Malolos is 263,000 and 270,000 in the year 2015.
The Committee promised Sy-Alvarado that it will calendar and place it on agenda on the second week of September, barely two weeks from the filing of candidacy of candidates for the May 2016 Presidential and local elections.
Sy-Alvarado said she will incorporate an endorsement for a special election for the lone district of Malolos if her bill will be passed after the May 2016 elections.