Rizal province will have more lawmakers in the House of Representatives, after its second legislative district was recently split into 3.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11533 on March 25, reapportioning the second district of Rizal into 3 districts. A copy of the law was made available to the media on Monday, April 12.

The towns of Baras, Cardona, Jala-jala, Morong, Pililla, Tanay, and Teresa will remain in the new second district. These towns have a combined population of 449,103, as of the 2015 census.

San Mateo is carved out from the old second district to become the new 3rd district. It has at least 252,527 residents, as of 2015.

Rodriguez (Montalban), with a population of 369,222 in 2015, is reapportioned as the new 4th district.

The representatives of the newly reapportioned districts will be elected in the May 2022 elections. Until then, incumbent Rizal 2nd District Representative Juan Fidel Felipe Nograles will continue to represent the current second district.

Beginning 2022, Rizal will have a total of 6 representatives in the House, including the two who represent Antipolo City.

Nograles introduced and sponsored the measure that eventually became RA 11533. In the explanatory note of his original bill, Nograles cited the growing population of the second district to justify its reapportionment. He also pointed out that the current second district towns are “non-contiguous” or not adjacent to each other.

He also said the new groupings take into account the towns’ features. Nograles explained that the 7 municipalities in the new second district “are principally rural in nature” and have low population density.

Meanwhile, San Mateo “is distinctly metropolitan,” sharing in the urban growth of neighboring Metro Manila.

Finally, Rodriguez is “dominated by mountains and slopes,” but a portion of the big town “shares characteristics” with Metro Manila.

The redistricting, argued Nograles, would “afford the constituents of the district with proper and effective representation in the House.”

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is tasked to issue implementing rules and regulations within 30 days after the effectivity of the new law. – Rappler.com