Press Release
June 5, 2012

Creation of Cotabato third district passes 2nd reading

The Senate today approved on second reading a bill which seeks to create a third legislative district in Cotabato.

House Bill No. 4111, also known as the "Reapportioning of the Province of Cotabato into three Legislative Districts" was sponsored by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government.

"The province of North Cotabato had a population of 1,121,974. However, there are only two legislative districts in North Cotabato. It is therefore clearly underrepresented in the House of Representatives," according to Senator Panfilo Lacson, who filed a counterpart bill, Senate Bill No. 2945, in the Senate.

The bill, Lacson explained, proposed to reapportion the Province of North Cotabato from the present two legislative districts to three legislative districts.

Based on the geographical and population requirements of the Constitution, Lacson said, the first district is comprised of the municipalities of Pikit, Pigkawayan, Alamada, Libungan, Midsayap and Aleosan. On the other hand, the second district is comprised of the municipalities of Makilala, Magpet, Kidapawan, Roxas, Antipas and Arakan while the third district will be comprised of the municipalities of Banisilan, Carmen, Kabacan, Matalam, Matang and Tulunan.

Lacson said the creation of an additional district is " in the interest of proper democratic and proportional representation."//Pilar Macrohon, PRIB

News Latest News Feed