PRESIDENT Duterte has approved the creation of the Butuan City legislative district and its separation from the first district of Agusan del Norte starting 2025.
Last April 27, Duterte signed Republic Act 11714, “An Act Reapportioning the Province of Agusan del Norte into the Lone district of the City of Butuan and the Legislative District of the Province of Agusan del Norte” which stemmed from House bill 7771 that was passed on December 14, 2020 and amended by the Senate on January 31, 2022. The House of Representatives concurred with the amendment last February 2.
Under the law, the province shall be divided into the lone legislative district of the City of Butuan, and the legislative district of Agusan del Norte composed of Cabadbaran City, Las Nieves, Buenavista, Carmen, Jabonga, Kitcharao, Magallanes, Nasipit, Remedios T. Romualdez, Santiago and Tubay.
It added that the incumbent representatives of the first and second districts of Agusan del Norte shall continue to represent their respective districts until the reapportionment of the province takes effect in the 2025 national and local elections.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement the new law.
Malacanang released the signed copy of RA 11714 yesterday along with three laws increasing the bed capacity of government hospitals in La Union, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City and eight laws that upgraded eight hospitals into general and regional hospitals which comes at a time when the country is still facing the coronavirus disease pandemic.
The President on April 29 signed into law RAs 11716 raising the bed capacity of the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City from 600 to 1,200; 11717 that increased the bed capacity of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City from 1,200 to 1,500 beds; 11724 that raised the bed capacity of the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center in San Fernando City in La Union from 300 to 800 beds.
Duterte also signed on April 29:
- RA 11715 that converted the Cotabato Sanitarium in Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao into a general hospital to be known as the Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital;
- RA 11718 that establishes a tertiary general hospital in Abulug in Cagayan Valley to be known as the Northwestern Cagayan General Hospital;
- RA 11719 that converts the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospitals in Daraga in Albay into a general and subspecialty hospital to be known as the Bicol Regional Hospital and Medical Center;
- RA 11720 that establishes a general hospital in Bocaue in Bulacan to be known as the Joni Villanueva General Hospital;
- RA 11721 that establishes a general hospital in Villanueva in Misamis Oriental to be known as the Northeastern Misamis General Hospital;
- RA 11722 that converts the Sulu Sanitarium in Jolo in Sulu into a general hospital to be known as the Sulu Sanitarium and General Hospital;
- RA 11723 that converts the Western Visayas Sulu Sanitarium in Santa Barbara in Iloilo into a general hospital to be known as the Western Visayas Sanitarium and General Hospital; and RA 11725 that converts the Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center extension hospital in the Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo into a tertiary hospital to be known as the Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center.
The Secretary of Health, in consultation with the chief of the affected hospitals and in coordination the Secretary of Budget and Management and the chairman of the Civil Service Commission shall determine any additional positions to be created and filled up to ensure the implementation of the said laws.
Funding for the implementation of the law shall be included in the Annual General Appropriation Act.
The new laws shall take effect 15 days after their publication in the Official Gazette or in a national daily.
