Congressional Districts of Zamboanga City

Dia de Zamboanga: Esperanza y Malingasa

NOTICE:

(Dated: 2/26/2009)

This notice goes out to Zamboanga City’s 2^nd Congressional District Congressman, Erbie A. Fabian, regarding HIS understanding, interpretation and implementation of The Philippine Constitution Law concerning the creation of the required 3^rd Congressional District of Zamboanga City.

We will provide you, Congressman, a "reasonable" amount of time to explain yourself publicly regarding your position on this Philippine Constitution MANDATE:

"Within three (3) years following the return of every Census, the (Philippine) Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts based on the standards provided in this section."

WHEREBY:

Section 5, part (4), of The Constitution of The Republic of The Philippines, Article VI: The Legislative Department, directs that:

"Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand (250,000), or each province, shall have at least one (1) representative."

DATELINE:

August 1, 2007 – Last official Census ratified by The Philippine’s National Statistics Office

+ 3 years – Time LIMIT for re-Apportionment of Zamboanga City’s 3^rd Legislative District

August 1, 2010 – Deadline for Philippine Congress to pass law creating 3^rd Legislative District

May 2010 – is The Philippine National Elections, so the 3^rd Congressional District MUST be created before election or more time and monies will be lost!

Zamboanga’s Congresswoman Maria Isabelle G. Climaco of the 1^st Congressional District has already initiated her due diligence in authoring a Bill proposal for the creation of the 3^rd Congressional District that was presented to Congressman Fabian for his signature as "co-authors" of the Bill, as unified Representatives of Zamboanga City, last Tuesday, 2/17/2009, but Fabian has turned it down according to published report.

Congresswoman Climaco is doing the exact process of getting that Bill submitted quickly to the Philippine Congress for their review and approval, in accordance to the Philippine Constitution, so that Zamboanga City’s newly created 3^rd Legislative District can be readied for the upcoming National Election in May 2010, where their constituents in turn will need to elect their own Congressional Representative and their 8 new City Councilors.

Time is of the essence. The past approval and creation of the 2^nd Congressional District of Zamboanga was done illegally, in despicable violation of the Philippine Constitution mandate – almost 1 year after the 3 years maximum required time for its passage in the Philippine Congress. Erbie, you better not be responsible for causing this illegal process to happen again! It is not your job to interpret the Philippine Constitution and the guaranties it provides our Zamboangueño constituents. You better join Climaco in signing the city’s constitutional right to have a 3^rd Legislative District immediately! Or else…

You work to serve Zamboanga City and not the other way around… So, do your job right – now!!!

We will keep Zamboangueños, locally and around the world, aware of your pace and place.

SUGGESTION:

The current population map distribution of the two existing Congressional Districts of Zamboanga City will both need to be re-drawn in order to meet the Constitutional guidelines on the makeup of each legislative district. Congressional District #1 cannot possibly remain in its current contiguous adjacent territory because of the 250,000 population minimum requirement for each legislative district. The same legal principle applies to Congressional District #2.

As it stands, the population distribution makeup of the required THREE (3) Congressional Districts of Zamboanga City should come close to containing these amounts of people within each legislative district:

	Minimum population:		Additional population:		TOTALS:
1^st Congressional District	250,000	+	8,136	=	258,136
2^nd Congressional District	250,000	+	8,136	=	258,136
3^rd Congressional District	250,000	+	8,135	=	258,135
Balance:	750,000	+	24,407	=	774,407

The entire government leadership of Zamboanga City needs to put all their heads together to re-draw the above 3 legislative districts legally accordingly.

Zamboanga City must get its Constitutionally mandated 3rd Congressional District immediately passed in the Philippine Congress.

Zamboanga City's official National Statistics Office population census count of August 1, 2007 is:

774,407.

Section 5, part (4), of The Constitution of The Republic of The Philippines, Article VI: The Legislative Department, directs that:

	774,407	=	Census 2007 Population of Zamboanga City
	- 250,000	=	1st Congressional District & 1st Congressional Representative in the Philippine Congress.
	- 250,000	=	2nd Congressional District & 2nd Congressional Representative in the Philippine Congress.
	- 250,000	=	3rd Congressional District & 3rd Congressional Representative in the Philippine Congress.
Balance:	24,407		Caveat: "Within three* (3) years following the return of every Census, the Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts based on the standards provided in this section." per above Article VI. Effective July 31, 2010, there should be 3 Congressional Districts & their Representatives for Zamboanga City! However, National Elections is on May 2010, so, the 3rd Congressional District MUST be legalized in 2009!!! ( Candidates* for the brand new 3rd Congressional District of Zamboanga City Election need to be legally ready. ) Legal Requirement: 1 new Congressional Representative for the 3rd Congressional District 8 new City Councilors for the 3rd Congressional District

What's the Political Power consequence to ALL Zamboangueños? Read ON

Zamboanga City's 3rd Congressional District should be:

Northern-most city proper boundary (Licomo area) to Mid-city (Bolong area), granted the area's combined population is at least 250,000.

More political power and legislative representation to the people of Zamboanga City!

FINALLY: Zamboanga City deserves to have it's own Zamboangueño SENATORS to represent its immense & important Mindanao Region!!!

As the 6th largest City in The Philippines, Zamboanga City and its Mindanao Region deserves more Senate Seats!

Previous and ONLY Zamboangueño SENATOR: Roseller T. Lim; 1955 - 1957 & 1957 - 1963.

Zamboanga's time is long overdue - it's NOW!!! National Election 2010.

Zamboanga.com will help promote our Senatorial Candidates.

Let us all unite in our right, for our own Senators!

Let's elect 10 SENATORS!!!!!!!!!!

Qualifications to Become Senators:

The qualifications for membership in the Senate are expressly stated in Section 3, Article VI of the Philippine Constitution as follows:

No person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, and on the day of the election, is at least thirty-five years of age, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election.

It is worthy to note that the age is fixed at 35 and must be possessed on the day of the elections, that is, when the polls are opened and the votes cast, and not on the day of the proclamation of the winners by the board of canvassers.

With regard to the residence requirement, it was ruled in the case of Lim v. Pelaez that it must be the place where one habitually resides and to which he, after absence, has the intention of returning.

The enumeration laid down by the Constitution is exclusive under the Latin principle of expressio unius est exclusio alterius. This means that Congress cannot anymore add additional qualifications other than those provided by the Constitution.

Article VI, Section 2 of the Constitution provides:

The Senate shall be composed of twenty-four Senators who shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the Philippines, as may be provided by law.

It is worthy to note that the composition of the Senate is smaller in number as compared to the House of Representatives. The members of this chamber are elected at large by the entire electorate. The rationale for this rule intends to make the Senate a training ground for national leaders and possibly a springboard for the presidency. It follows also that the Senator, having a national rather than only a district constituency, will have a broader outlook of the problems of the country, instead of being restricted by narrow viewpoints and interests. With such perspective, the Senate is likely to be more circumspect, or at least less impulsive, than the House of Representatives.

DISPARITY IN NUMBERS = MINDANAO, BASILAN & SULU'S CONTINUED LOSS

As of 2004, there are 43,536,028 registered voters in the Philippines. And take note of the distribution of SENATORS PER ISLAND.

LUZON ISLAND: 21 SENATORS (Note: 10 SENATORS COME FROM METRO-MANILA)

VISAYAS ISLAND: 2 SENATORS ( SEN. FRANKLIN DRILON & SEN. SERGE OSMEñA)

MINDANAO ISLAND: 1 SENATOR (SEN. NENE PIMENTEL)

Below is the distribution of registered voters per region.

Luzon 24,620,517 (TOTAL REGISTERED VOTERS)

NCR 5,925,347 (a.k.a. Metro-Manila)

CAR 762,268

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REGION I 2,323,285

REGION II 1,498,780

REGION III 4,958,425

REGION IV-A 5,528,898

REGION IV-B 1,191,930

REGION V 2,431,584

Visayas 8,968,714 (TOTAL REGISTERED VOTERS)

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REGION VI 3,592,213

REGION VII 3,297,946

REGION VIII 2,078,555

Mindanao 9,946,797 (TOTAL REGISTERED VOTERS)

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REGION IX 1,657,134

REGION X 2,067,109

REGION XI 2,134,415

REGION XII 1,867,539

REGION XIII 1,163,142

ARMM 1,057,458

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Source: The Official Website of The Republic of The Philippines