Benitez weighs service impact after abstaining from House vote

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – Bacolod Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez remained noncommittal when asked whether his decision to abstain from voting for the House Speakership in the 20th Congress would affect government services for the city.

“I don’t know,” Benitez said, responding to concerns about the potential impact of his abstention on local development projects.

Benitez previously outlined key initiatives for Bacolod, including securing national funding for a coastal road and flood control systems, expanding the Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP) nationwide, fast-tracking project implementation by streamlining government processes, and pushing for the city’s redistricting.

In a media interview Monday, he emphasized that the delivery of services ultimately rests with the current administration.

“It is up to this government or the current administration to ensure that services are given to the intended beneficiaries,” he said.

He explained that his abstention stemmed from controversies involving the House leadership under Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“There were decisions that should not have been made,” Benitez said.

“I felt that it has to be rectified.”

“Elections happen before the actual election,” he added.

While most lawmakers voted to retain Romualdez as Speaker, Benitez stressed that each member has the right to vote independently.

“Each member has their own discretion,” he said.

“For me, there are decisions by the House leadership that I am not in favor of.”

Although Benitez’s name had surfaced as a possible contender for House Speaker, he denied having any such intention.

He said the speculation may have come from sentiments within the chamber.

“Maybe others have their own reasons deep inside—they could not speak out,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) passed a resolution last week requesting Benitez to file a bill for the redistricting of Bacolod’s lone congressional district into two.

The resolution was authored by Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the Committee on Laws and Ordinances.

Former Bacolod Rep. and now Mayor Greg Gasataya had filed a similar bill during his final term in Congress, and Benitez said he plans to refile it.

He earlier emphasized that a formal resolution from the SP is a legal requirement for redistricting to proceed.

“All bills for the 20th Congress will go back to zero, so we will have to start again from step one,” Benitez said.

“Hopefully, the Senate and the President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) will see the necessity of this measure,” he added.

The resolution reiterated earlier SP measures, reflecting the city’s consistent stand in favor of redistricting.

It stated that the creation of two legislative districts is essential to ensure proportional representation in Congress, improve access to national programs, and strengthen democratic participation.

Dividing Bacolod into two districts is also expected to yield economic benefits through greater congressional representation and increased access to national funding, infrastructure, and socio-economic development programs.

The resolution cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showing Bacolod has exceeded the constitutional population requirement for creating additional legislative districts.

It also referenced Section 5, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, which mandates that each legislative district must have at least 250,000 residents and should be contiguous, compact, and adjacent.

The proposed redistricting aligns with the goals of the Local Government Code and the national policy on decentralization and local-level development planning, the resolution added.