ZAMBOANGA CITY - Representative Mujiv Hataman of the lone district of Basilan has filed a bill seeking to reapportion the province into two legislative districts. Hataman said in a statement Tuesday that House Bill 10407, which was filed on Monday, would allow the local government to keep up with the increasing population of Basilan province, which is made up of two component cities and 11 municipalities. The two component cities are Isabela and Lamitan, while the 11 towns are Tuburan, Mohammad Ajul, Akbar, Tipo-Tipo, Al-Barka, Ungkaya Pukan, Sumisip, Tabuan-Lasa, Lantawan, Hadji Muhtamad, and Maluso. Hataman said that HB 10407, once passed into law, will increase the number of representations of Basilan province before the House of Representatives. "While the population of Basilan increases, the needed governmental services of the province also grows. It is now appropriate that Basilan should have two Representatives in Congress to attend to the needs of its constituents as well as the development of the province," Hataman said. He said that Article VI, Section 5, Paragraph 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that each city or province with a population of at least 250,000 shall have at least one representative. He said that Basilan is now entitled to have two legislative districts since the total population of the province is 556,586 as of May 1, 2020. HB 10407, or An Act Reapportioning the Lone District of the Province of Basilan Thereby Creating the First and Second Legislative Districts of Basilan, proposes the following reapportionment: the first legislative district composed of Isabela City and the municipalities of Lantawan, Maluso, Hadji Muhtamad, and Tabuan-Lasa; and the second legislative district comprised of Lamitan City and the municipalities of Akbar, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, Ungkaya Pukan, Sumisip and Al-Barka. "The bill is envisioned to empower Basilenos by ensuring their equal participation and representation in national legislation through their duly-designated representatives," Hataman said. Basilan is one of the five provinces in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (PNA) }