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.
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.
READ MY OTHER ARTICE
ReplyDeleteMar 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
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.
ReplyDeleteJames 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.
Ike Palinar: It will give more budget for the province
ReplyDeleteFrederickGidz Mendoza DeVera II: Lone District of Dagupan (or just Add San Fabian to meet up the population requirements per district). ๐
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 .
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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.