MANILA, Philippines – The proposal to increase the number of members of the House of Representatives by 100 from 250 to 350 is too expensive especially at this time when the country is being buffeted by the global financial and economic meltdown, a senior senator said.
Senator Francis Pangilinan, the former Senate majority leade, urged his colleagues to take a close hard look at the proposed increase as he pointed out this would entail additional burden on the Filipino taxpayers, which could run into billions of pesos.
Pangilinan said the additional budget to be used to defray the expenses of the 100 additional congressmen could be put to better use in helping most of the 90 million Filipinos cope with the adverse impact of the global crisis.
Pangilinan was reacting to the bill filed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, which seeks to increase the seats in the House from 250 to 350 to ensure proper representation of the people in the legislature.
In filing the bill, Enrile noted that the growing population in many congressional districts throughout the country makes it essential to increase the number of members of the House.
He said that under the 1987 Constitution, each legislative district should have a minimum total population of 250,000.
At present, the House has a total membership of 250, composed of 220 district lawmakers and 30 congressmen elected under the so-called party list system, who are to represent the under-represented sectors of society, like farmers, teachers and even war veterans, Enrile said.
Malacanang came out in support of the Enrile proposal but emphasized it would be up to Congress to act on it.
Also, the House has already passed on third and final reading several bills seeking the creation of additional congressional districts.
However, Pangilinan countered it would be more prudent to either postpone the increase or limit it to 20 or 25 additional House seats as he argued:
“We need to focus on expenditures that would address the impact of the global economic slowdown.”
Joining Pangilinan in opposing the Enrile proposal is Archbishop Angel Lagdameo of Jaro, Iloilo province in the Visayas and also the president of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Lagdameo insisted that a further study and public consultation should be done before the bill is passed by both the House and the Senate.
Lagdameo echoed the argument of Pangilinan that the Philippines has already too many congressmen and the proposed increase would be an added financial burden on the part of the Filipino taxpayers.
In particular, Lagdameo stressed the need to consult the people to give them an opportunity to give their own reaction on the issue because, in the long run, it is the people who would be shouldering the extra financial burden that is to arise from the increased number of congressmen.
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