GOVERNOR Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo said Lanao del Norte has a lot to gain with the ratification of Republic Act 9774 in terms of economic benefits, political stability and security.
Talking with journalists from Iligan and Ozamiz cities last Wednesday, Dimaporo said that the ratification of House Bill 4053, authored by his father, Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo of the second district, will actually provide their province an opportunity to grow, bond Muslim and Christian community ties as well as resolve political matters fast.
Approved last Nov. 17, RA 9774 is an act providing for the apportionment of legislative districts in Lanao del Norte. Under the ratified bill, the province’s 22 municipalities are reapportioned into two legislative districts.
The first district will cover Baroy, Tubod, Kolambugan, Maigo, Bacolod, Kauswagan, Linamon, Tagoloan, Baloi, Matunggao and Pantar.
The second district will now include Pantao Ragat, Poona Piagapo, Munai, Tangkal, Magsaysay, Salvador, Lala, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Kapatagan, Sapad and Nunungan.
RA 9774 allows the incumbent representatives of the first and second legislative districts of the province a status quo until new representatives will be elected in next year’s national elections.
“The Provincial Board carefully studied the reapportionment bill of Congressman Dimaporo and saw it has a very good application that is why we issued a resolution signifying our strong support,” Dimaporo said.
“The reapportionment was fair and there was equal division. You know, we in Lanao del Norte always wanted to maintain the policy of joint leadership by Muslims and Christians. We all saw the spirit of HB 4503 and so all the provincial officials and mayors supported it,” the governor added.
Dimaporo then said that as of the moment, they are still in the process of contemplating whether to increase or decrease the number of public servants of the newly reapportioned district.
He also dispelled reports which said that the redistricting favored the Dimaporo family, saying his mother even has difficulty in convincing a number of voters from the municipalities included in the first district to vote for her when she ran for congresswoman in the last elections.
But Dimaporo admitted their family has political clouts in more than half of the listed towns in the newly reapportioned district.
With these developments, residents of Lanao del Norte could elect their first congressman next year who is entitled to P70 million in pork barrel funds.
Meanwhile, Congressman Vicente Belmonte also authored another bill, HB 4054, in a bid to create the lone district of Iligan City, separate from the seven municipalities of Lanao del Norte.
The bill was approved last Oct. 20 and is now called RA 9724, an act separating the city of Iligan from the first legislative district of Lanao del Norte to constitute the lone legislative district of the city of Iligan.
REPORT BY MICHAEL MEDINA
Talking with journalists from Iligan and Ozamiz cities last Wednesday, Dimaporo said that the ratification of House Bill 4053, authored by his father, Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo of the second district, will actually provide their province an opportunity to grow, bond Muslim and Christian community ties as well as resolve political matters fast.
Approved last Nov. 17, RA 9774 is an act providing for the apportionment of legislative districts in Lanao del Norte. Under the ratified bill, the province’s 22 municipalities are reapportioned into two legislative districts.
The first district will cover Baroy, Tubod, Kolambugan, Maigo, Bacolod, Kauswagan, Linamon, Tagoloan, Baloi, Matunggao and Pantar.
The second district will now include Pantao Ragat, Poona Piagapo, Munai, Tangkal, Magsaysay, Salvador, Lala, Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Kapatagan, Sapad and Nunungan.
RA 9774 allows the incumbent representatives of the first and second legislative districts of the province a status quo until new representatives will be elected in next year’s national elections.
“The Provincial Board carefully studied the reapportionment bill of Congressman Dimaporo and saw it has a very good application that is why we issued a resolution signifying our strong support,” Dimaporo said.
“The reapportionment was fair and there was equal division. You know, we in Lanao del Norte always wanted to maintain the policy of joint leadership by Muslims and Christians. We all saw the spirit of HB 4503 and so all the provincial officials and mayors supported it,” the governor added.
Dimaporo then said that as of the moment, they are still in the process of contemplating whether to increase or decrease the number of public servants of the newly reapportioned district.
He also dispelled reports which said that the redistricting favored the Dimaporo family, saying his mother even has difficulty in convincing a number of voters from the municipalities included in the first district to vote for her when she ran for congresswoman in the last elections.
But Dimaporo admitted their family has political clouts in more than half of the listed towns in the newly reapportioned district.
With these developments, residents of Lanao del Norte could elect their first congressman next year who is entitled to P70 million in pork barrel funds.
Meanwhile, Congressman Vicente Belmonte also authored another bill, HB 4054, in a bid to create the lone district of Iligan City, separate from the seven municipalities of Lanao del Norte.
The bill was approved last Oct. 20 and is now called RA 9724, an act separating the city of Iligan from the first legislative district of Lanao del Norte to constitute the lone legislative district of the city of Iligan.
REPORT BY MICHAEL MEDINA