20th Cityhood Anniversary: Two Congressional Districts for Muntinlupa Long Overdue

Muntinlupa became a highly-urbanized city on March 1, 1995 when former President Fidel V. Ramos, a resident of Muntinlupa, signed Republic Act 7926 into law, converting the then Municipality of Muntinlupa into a highly-urbanized city to be known as the City of Muntinlupa.

As the former municipal attorney and public information officer at that time, I was assigned by then Mayor Atty. Ignacio Bunye to handle the cityhood quest. After preparing our draft city charter and the primer for public information and the subsequent plebiscite, we encountered an unexpected rough sailing in the Senate. Former Senator Manuel Villar was our lone congressional representative for the congressional district of Las Pinas-Muntinlupa at that particular time. In the previous elections of 1992, he won in Muntinlupa but lost in Las Pinas. Since Muntinlupa carried him to victory, it was against his interest to separate the district at least for the 1995 elections. And former Senator Ernesto Maceda, acting as the "killjoy," told us bluntly: "If you insist on having your own congressional district separate from Las Pinas, the cityhood bill would not pass."

To save the bill, Mayor Bunye opted to have the bill approved without a provision granting Muntinlupa its own congressional district, and we would have to wait for three more years to have a lone representative in Congress. This was without precedent! The Constitution mandates a one city-one congressional district allocation. In fact, the other Metro Manila towns which became cities were immediately granted one congressional seat; some were even granted two like Makati. San Juan, which was not a city then, was granted one representative.

Such is the history of the cityhood of Muntinlupa. Its legal entitlement and due independence are always subject to rough sailing. We had to fight for it.

Now on its 20th Cityhood Anniversary, our city is poised to become a leading "investment hub" in the country, with the proposed new expressway dike along Laguna de Bay's shoreline (within Muntinlupa) that will include a 700-hectare reclamation project and the 366-hectare New Bilibid Prisons Reservation prime real estate property that will be left vacant with the transfer of the National Penitentiary to Laur, Nueva Ecija. For sure, our annual income of about P4 billion will further increase.

Its last population count as of 2010 census was almost 500,000. The Constitution requires only a minimum of 250,000 population per district.

Muntinlupa, with its booming population and growing revenues, has long been entitled to two congressional districts; but remains to have one until now. Valenzuela, Makati, Marikina, Paranaque, even Taguig-Pateros have two representatives in Congress.

Time to move again!

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