The Senate hearing of the bill apportioningBacolod Cityinto two districts last month was postponed pending the release of the printed draft from the National Statistics Office to determine whether Bacolod City has met the population requirement, Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez Jr. said yesterday.

The hearing was supposed to be slated last December but the Budget hearing was not finished early, Golez said.

He also said the Local Government Committee chaired by Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has started the hearing on the re-districting of about five citiesinMindanao. However, only one has satisfied all the requirements.

Golez said the next hearing was supposed to be in the Visayas region, which includes Bacolod City.

He said he was told by the chief of staff of Marcos that the committee did not continue with the hearing since the senator wanted the printed copy of the NSO.

If the NSO copy will be released in September, there is a chance for the redistricting of Bacolod City to push through, he said. If it is not released by September, the chances of Bacolod being divided into two districts will be slimmer, he said.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia had said that during the Congressional hearing in the Lower House, the NSO validated that the population of Bacolod in 2010 was already 530,000 plus. For 2011 it might be in the vicinity of 540,000, which is above the minimum requirement of 500,000, he said.

House Bill 3692, or an act re-apportioning the lone legislative district and Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City, was passed by Congress on third and final reading on December 8, 2011. Senator Franklin Drilon filed a counterpart bill in the Senate known as House Bill 2568.

Should the re-districting of Bacolod push through, the Bacolod North District will compose Barangays 1-12, 17-31, 41, Alangilan, Banago, Bata, Estefania, Granada, Mandalagan, Montevista, Villamonte and Vista Alegre which has a total population of 238,107 based on the National Statistics Office census of 2007.

The Bacolod South District will compose Barangays 13-16, 32-40, Alijis, Cabug, Felisa, Handumanan, Mansilingan, Pahanocoy, Punta-Taytay, Singcang, Sum-ag, Taculing and Tangub which has a total population of 261,390 as of 2007.*CGS

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