Adding two more legislative districts on top of the existing three will boost progress in the entire province through additional budget which will be allocated for the new districts, said Second District Rep. Aris Aumentado.

According to Aumentado, the budget allocation from various national agencies for each town and barangay in Bohol will increase as well when there will be lesser municipalities under each of the province’s districts.

“For example sa among bahin, 14 ka lungsod, 346 ka barangay, og naay pundo mo-sud, unsaon man pag bahin-bahin ana? Ang paghatag dili ma well-distributed sa atoang mga kalungsuran, mga kabarangayan tungod kay daghan ra kaayo,” said Aumentado.

The congressman cited Cebu’s progress as partly due to the 10 congressional districts that make up the province.

“For example, ang congressman makadawat og allocation sa lain-laing agency—pasabot DPWH, DOTr, DOTC, tanang national agency—og 1 billion ang usa ka congressman sa Cebu, so mahitabo 10 billion ang ilang masud na projects sa tibuok lalawigan,” he added.

Aumentado noted that the Sangguniang Panalalawigan, Philippine Councilors’ League, League of Municipalities of the Philippines and Liga ng mga Barangay in Bohol have all passed resolutions in support of the initiative.

“So, ako as congressman, atoang gi-respeto ang ilang gihatag na resolution na og pwede file-an og balaudnon na maka-dugang ta og distrito,” he said.

House Bill 7999 which will divide the province into five legislative districts has been filed by Aumentado in Congress, but the congressman said that it has yet to be tackled at the committee level.

Aumentado and the province’s two other congressmen, First District Rep. Rene Relampagos and Rep. Art Yap have yet to meet formally to discuss the proposal.

The three congressmen will also still have to finalize the redistribution of Bohol’s lone city and 47 towns under the five districts.

“Ako ning ipresentar ni Cong. Rene ug Cong. Yap kung uyon ba sila ani before ni i-agto sa committee,” said Aumentado. “Duna miy mga higayon na nagkahisgutay pero dili g’yud ingon na murag priority nila ang pagdugang og distrito. Pero matud pa nila, mag-estorya g’yud mi bahin sa pagpasa sa maong balaudnon.”