Mayors Support More Cong. Districts

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

SAN CARLOS CITY – A huge city and three town mayors in Pangasinan support the reported stance of four congressmen for up to four additional congressional apportionment in the province.

San Carlos Mayor Julier Resuello told this writer that cities and municipalities need funding from allocation given by the national government to new congressional districts.

“Definitely, iyon nga hawak na districts ng mga congressmen ngayon ay napakalalaki. So we need additional congressional districts para mabigyan ng tugon mabigyan ng solution iyong pagkukulang sa budget especially sa local government units that has not enough money to build infrastructure programs. So Definitely, additional districts or additional congressmen for the provinces will be very good help that will be useful for the province,” he stressed.

Resuello said that this 86 villages city with a projected P200, 000 population comes the publication of the 2018 census needs two towns to meet the 250, 000 requirement of the number of inhabitants for a new congressional district as mandated by the Constitution.

PRO REDISTRICTING. San Carlos Mayor Ayoy Resuello (Left photo clockwise), Binmaley Mayor Sam Rosario, Aguilar Mayor Roldan Sagles, and Basista Mayor J.R Resuello.

When this writer cited that Basista, where his younger brother is a mayor, is contiguous to the city here, Resuello cited that he still needs another town to be viable candidate for a new redistricting.

Another practicable, compact, and adjacent town for this city is Urbiztondo. 
Both Basista and Urbiztondo belong to the Second District while this city is part of the most populated Third District.

Binmaley Mayor Simplicio Rosario lauded the stance of the four of the six congressmen in Pangasinan plan to file a bill for congressional apportionment.

“It’s good. We can make Binmaley, Lingayen, and Bugallon if it reached the required number of population,” Rosario, who is ending his nine years straight mayoral term, told this writer when the latter dropped by at his office after he declared a state of calamity due to the scourged of the African Swine Flu to the hog industry there.

 Adviser to municipal mayors Professor Arnel Montemayor told this newspaper that small town mayor J.R Resuello of Basista and Mayor Roldan Sagles of Aguilar of the Second District welcomed the move of some Pangasinan congressmen to file a bill for additional congressional districts.

“It’s favorable to third class towns. It will bode well their economic development,” Montemayor said.

This mammoth city mayor Resuello, the older brother of the Basista mayor, cited that a new congressional district is a necessary dose for local government units that needs funding for their infrastructure needs.

“Yes of course especially with cities and other municipalities that need funding”.

With leaders in Dagupan City and contiguous town San Fabian lobby the congressional proponents, the combined population of 254, 296  (PSA 2015 Census) of the two LGUs is more than enough to carve out one congressional district in the old Fourth District  just like in Cebu and Lapu-Lapu Cities,.

If that can happen, former mayor Belen T. Fernandez, Councilor Celia Lim, and even reelectionist Representative Christopher de Venecia duke- out among themselves to get the congressional diadem in the May 2022 election for the new district or De Venecia continues to man the rampart of his Fourth District and wins another reelection to continue his advocacy and good governance there.

Section 5 (3) Article VI of the Constitution provides that “Each city… or each province” with a population of at least 250,000 shall have at least one representative. (4) Within three years following the return of every census, the Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts based on the standards provided in this section.

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