The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill 7522 seeking to split the province of Aklan into two legislative districts.
The bill authored by Aklan Rep. Carlito Marquez sought to improve the current representation of the province deemed necessary to enhance the implementation of government services and ensure proper delivery of service to the Aklanons.
Under the bill, the province’s first legislative district shall be composed of the towns of Altavas, Balete, Banga, Kalibo, New Washington, Libacao, and Madalang.
On the other hand, the second legislative district shall be composed of Buruanga, Ibajay, Lezo, Makato, Malay, Malinao, Nabas, Numancia, and Tangalan.
Boracay Island shall be part of District 2 being within the town of Malay. The income from Boracay Island, a major international and local tourist attraction, had helped Aklan generate a substantial P491.755 million in local revenues out of its P1.086-billion total regular income.
Reapportioning the province into two legislative districts is pursuant to Section 5, Article IV of the1987 Constitution that provides that a city or a province with a population of at least 250,000 shall have at least one representative in Congress.
One of the provinces in Western Visayas with the fastest growing population, Aklan’s population has reached 574,823 as of 2015.
Marquez said the additional legislative representation would provide the people of Aklan with more voice in the legislature to promote the province’s interest.
Marquez cited records of the Department of Finance showing Aklan was first among 80 provinces in the country in terms of its share of local income to total regular income with a 45.3 rating.