Sunday, July 7, 2019

Guico mulls more cong. districts in Pangasinan



By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BINALONAN – A Pangasinan congressman wants to see two to four congressional districts to be apportioned to the present six districts so they could boost economically the mammoth province.

Fifth District Representative Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III told this writer at the terminal of the family owned WCC Aeronautical and Technological College about the proposed law he has been mulling.

“Just imagine each of the eight to ten districts gets a billion of pesos’ allocation every year,” he cited.

With four districts approved by congress and signed into law by the president of the Philippines, Pangasinan could have ten congressmen.

Image may contain: 9 people, including Ramon Mon-mon Guico III, people smiling, people sitting, child and outdoor
WINNERS - Then Fifth District congressional candidate Ramon "Monmon" Guico, III (extreme left) ride a human powered tricycle driven by then provincial board's  aspirant Louie Sison. Both forayed to win the hearts and minds of voters in a village of the eight towns one city' Pangasinan's district in the May 13, 2019 polls. The duo won the electoral derbies.
According to Pangasinan Fourth Engineering Office's District Engineer (DE) Simplicio Gonzales and Pangasinan Second Engineering Office DE Edita Leano Manuel of the Department of Public Works & Highway, the average allocation of infrastructure projects from the national government to each of the Second, Third, and Fourth Congressional Districts will be about one billion pesos this year.

Pangasinan has a population of 2,956, 726 according to the 2015 Census.
The demography of the province is bigger now after the 2018 census will be published this year by the Philippines Statistics Authority.
If based on the constitutional requirement of two hundred fifty thousand  inhabitants as minimum, the province could have 12 congressional districts.

The law says: “Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative”.

According to the Philippine Constitution “Within three years following the return of every census, the Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts based on the standard’s provided in this section".

Just to show the population of the province's swelled, she has 1,946,682 voters as based on the records of the Commission on Election compared to 1, 705,260 in 2016.

According to the data given by the Comelec to this writer, the most number of districts in terms of the numbers of voters in Pangasinan from highest to lowest are: Third, Second, Fifth, Fourth, Six, and First Districts.

Then congressmen Arthur Celeste (First District) Victor Agbayani (Second District), and Rachel Arenas (Third District) filed a bill in 2008 at the House of Representatives to apportion one more congressional district in the province.

But elective provincial officials allied under then governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. opposed the measure arguing that no public hearing was conducted by the three lawmakers.

In 2014, provincial board member Alfie Bince proposed a resolution for congress to create two more congressional districts.
He said with the 2, 893, 858 province’s demography on that year, it was opportune to request congressmen to hammer a law to add more districts to Pangasinan.

Bince cited that provinces like the then 2.6 million populated Cebu, 2.4 million demographics’ Negros Occidental, and 1.8 million populated Camarines Sur have seven, six, and six districts, respectively.  

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3 comments:


  1. Mar C. Ortigoza: The demography of the province is bigger now after the 2018 census will be published this year by the Philippines Statistics Authority.
    If based on the constitutional requirement of two hundred fifty thousand inhabitants as minimum, the province could have 12 congressional districts.
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    James Rey Tombaga Carolino: Mar C. Ortigoza pero mahihirapan tayo sir sa 12 legislative district like for example Cavite is more populated than us has only 8 districts so I think baka 2 additional district lang ang maisasabatas.
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    Mar C. Ortigoza: 250, 000 minimum requirement for a new congressional district. our population in Pangasinan is more than 3 million na. Povinces like the then 2.6 million populated Cebu, 2.4 million demographics’ Negros Occidental, and 1.8 million populated Camarines …See More
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    James Rey Tombaga Carolino: But those provinces na more populated than us Sir ay nahihirapan din po maka 12 districts Cebu has 7 (which excludes the independent cities of Cebu and Lapu-lapu) and Cavite has 8, kahit sa constitution natin na kahit 250k lang per district, it’s a welcome development if maifafile siya pero I think hanggang 8 lang ang pwede sa atin which is not bad at all.
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    James Rey Tombaga CarolinoActive Now
    James Rey Tombaga Carolino The law says: “Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative”.
    Base on 2015 Census po here’s my version of 8 districts sa Pangasinan.
    1st District
    AGNO 28,052
    ALAMINOS CITY 89,708
    ANDA 39,504
    BANI 50,306
    BOLINAO 82,084
    BURGOS 21,367
    DASOL 29,110
    INFANTA 24,584
    MABINI 24,765
    SUAL 34,149
    Total 423,899
    2nd District
    AGUILAR 41,463
    BINMALEY 83,052
    BUGALLON 67,348
    LABRADOR 23,201
    LINGAYEN 103,278
    MANGATAREM 73,242
    Total 391,548
    3rd District
    BASISTA 32,959
    BAYAMBANG 118,205
    SAN CARLOS CITY 188,571
    URBIZTONDO 50,170
    Total 389,905
    4th District
    CALASIAO 95,154
    MALASIQUI 130,275
    MAPANDAN 37,059
    STA. BARBARA 82,012
    Total 344,500
    5th District
    DAGUPAN CITY 171,271
    MANGALDAN 106,331
    SAN FABIAN 83,025
    SAN JACINTO 40,848
    Total 401,475
    6th District
    BINALONAN 54,555
    LAOAC 31,497
    MANAOAG 69,497
    POZORRUBIO 69,555
    SISON 47,518
    Total 272,622
    7th District
    ALCALA 43,402
    BAUTISTA 32,307
    URDANETA CITY 132,940
    VILLASIS 62,333
    STO. TOMAS 15,022
    Total 285,999
    8th District
    ASINGAN 57,535
    BALUNGAO 31,106
    NATIVIDAD 24,299
    ROSALES 63,081
    SAN MANUEL 52,939
    SAN NICOLAS 35,574
    SAN QUINTIN 32,945
    STA. MARIA 33,038
    TAYUG 43,149
    UMINGAN 73,252
    Total 417,683

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  2. MOrtz Ortigoza Good. Will just wait for the 2018 Census lalabas ngayong 2019. It could help members of congress in using that data for their apportionment bill.

    James Rey Tombaga Carolino: Mar C. Ortigoza Yes Sir I know some provinces na di nameet yung ibang criteria according to the law pero nagcreate sila ng additional districts like Camarines Sur

    Karlo Marco Orduna: With these additional districts., can it solve poverty? Corruption? Crime rate? High price commodities? High price of petroleum?taxation? Free education? Hospitalization, malnutrition and health programs...land reforms for farmers and agricultural problems?and if the answer is "yes" then i am in favor...but if it will only benifit corrupt public officials and their families, what for?!

    Mar C. Ortigoza he he he. Iyong P1 to P2 billion doc na infras a year given by the national government. It could help perk up the multiplier effects in Pangasinan for more works . Of course may effect din iyan sa bulsa ng 20% S.O.P sa mga bagong tongressmen, este, congressmen.

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  3. Ike Palinar: It will give more budget for the province


    FrederickGidz Mendoza DeVera II: Lone District of Dagupan (or just Add San Fabian to meet up the population requirements per district). ๐Ÿ˜Š

    Mortz Ortigoza: Puede na isali! Sa 2015 census ng Phil. Stats Authority ang Dagupan ay may 171,271 na tao while ang San Fabian ay may 83,025 or may 254, 296 na kaagad wala pa ang 2018 na lalabas ngayon na census. Sa new District Belen Fernandez or Celia Lim as congresswoman while sa original na Fourth District composed of Mangaldan, Manaoag, San Jacinto mga De Venecia pa rin .

    xxxx


    Over bottles of cold San Miguel Lights somewhere near the Lingayen beach, media men Ronel de Vera, the pet peeve of reporter Jaime Aquino, and Mon Untalan argued passionately if the gargantuan San Carlos City, with 86 villages by golly, is included in the apportionment bill by riding on the constitutional requirement of not less than 250,000 populations.
    “What will happen to the towns of Mapandan, Sta. Barbara, Bayamabang, Malasiqui, and Calasiao that will settle with the hypothetical 150, 000 residents,” Sammy, of Sual and the bรชte noire of Mayor Bing Arcinue, said.

    “That’s short of the requirement for the real Third Congressional District,” Harold Barcelona, a political science graduate of the University of Pangasinan, argued.

    “The Comelec should get another town from the nearby districts so the real district’s population will not regress to below 250,000,” Mon added.

    “You’re wrong! Ronel, the protรฉgรฉe at the college of Law professor Raul Lambinino, reasoned out.

    “It should be an act of Congress!”

    Boy Pantal, the driver of veteran newsman Jun Velasco, enlightened the inebriated media practitioners who would be coming to blows by reading the contents of the Papel de Hapon inserted at the book of Constitutionalist Father Joaquin Bernas,

    Pantal told me he borrowed the book from Ed Imus.

    “If, however, as a result of the increase of the number of legislative districts, either because of the creation of a new province or of a city, an imbalance results in the remaining legislative districts of the mother province, the Comelec has no authority to correct the imbalance by the transfer of municipalities from one district to another. Correction of the imbalance must await the enactment of a reapportionment law (Montejo v. Comelec. G.R No. 118702, March 16, 1995).

    “That means an Act of Congress,” Ronel, after swigging a bottle, quipped.

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