As elections near, LGUs getting ‘bigger’
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
February 19, 2009
A year into the election season, a number of local government units (LGUs) across the country are expanding—creating new barangays, seeking independence from mother units, and lobbying for new congressional districts. These expansions, in turn, will pave the way for new local positions that politicians may seek.
Recently released data from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showed that 13 new barangays were created, and a city was converted into a highly-urbanized city in the last quarter of 2008.
At the House of Representatives, there are bills seeking the creation of 18 new congressional districts in 15 provinces and cities. There are also bills seeking the creation of 4 more provinces, 7 municipalities, and 24 barangays.
Most, if not all, of these proposals were encouraged by the recently released 2007 census. Localities naturally saw increased populations, thus many of them finally met the minimum population requirement for the creation or expansion of political units.
