2 more districts in Pangasinan pushed

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—The provincial board on Monday discussed for a third time the proposal to create two more congressional districts on top of the existing six.

“With more congressmen, there will be more funds for infrastructure, school buildings and employment for [our] provincemates,” Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr. said in a privilege speech.

The proposal to break up Pangasinan into more than six districts was first introduced in 2008 by then Representatives Victor Agbayani (second district), Rachel Arenas (third district) and Arthur Celeste (first district).

It intended to add one more district, but it was blocked by provincial officials who complained that no public consultations were made before the representatives filed the measure.

Last year, the provincial board discussed a proposed ordinance which would have created two more districts, but the incumbent Pangasinan representatives did not file the necessary bill to support it in Congress.

According to Bince, the population of Pangasinan, with a vast land area of 536,880 hectares, has grown to 2,893,858, although the province has kept its six districts for 20 years. In 2013, the province had a budget of P2,131,960,654.

Some provinces which have lower populations have six or more congressional districts, he said. An example, he cited Cebu (2.6 million with seven districts), Negros Occidental (2.4 million, six districts) and Camarines Sur (1.8 million, six districts).

The 1987 Constitution states that each legislative district “shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory.”

“Each city with a population of at least 250,000, or each province, shall have at least one representative,” it says.

It allows Congress to reapportion legislative districts “within three years following the return of every census.”

Responding to a query, Bince said the proposal was not meant to accommodate Gov. Amado Espino Jr., who is serving his last term in office.

A provincial official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Espino had no need for a new district because “he could run and win in the third or fourth district.”

The board has provided the six incumbent representatives with a report detailing the outcome of recent public consultations about the redistricting proposal. Bince, however, said the board had yet to receive any feedback from them.

“I still believe that our congressmen have the courage and patriotism to let go of some of the towns within their present congressional districts and support a more prosperous Pangasinan through the creation of two more districts,” he said.