By Mortz C. Ortigoza
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – A former member of the House of Representatives took exception to the apathy of former and present solons to create more congressional districts in Pangasinan despite her burgeoning population that reached recently into more than three million.
“For the record, I sponsored a bill creating additional districts for our province during my time as Congressman in support to the SP (Sanguniang Panlalawigan) Resolution of former Provincial Board Member, Manong Alfie Bince, though it did not prosper for various reasons. Perk was not my priority but people’s need. I’m proud of our constituents, majority of them are intelligent and patriotic,” he commented on the online version of this newspaper's titled Greedy Member of Congress?
The present mayor of capital town Lingayen said that in early 2000s he filed a bill for additional two districts in the province on top of the six congressional districts under the Reorganization Committee chaired by then Six District Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas.
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| The Philippines' House of Representatives |
“When I filed a bill (in 2013) creating additional districts. After filing it supposed to go to series of stages of first reading, second reading, third reading”.
He did not know what happen after he submitted it for the First Reading in the Committee of Agabas.
“Oo, tanungin mo what happened to that bill to former Congresswoman Agabas,” Bataoil told this newspaper on the bill he sponsored.
He said that then Board Member Bince filed a resolution in the early 2000s at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial legislature) about the creation of additional congressional districts.
On July 8, 2013, the SB approved Provincial Resolution No. 293-2013 of BM Bince titled: Creating An Ad Hoc Committee To Study The Feasibility of Redistricting The Province of Pangasinan Into Eight (8) Legislative Districts.
In August 2014 for the third time the proposal to create two more congressional districts have been discussed in the provincial legislature of Pangasinan.
“With more congressmen, there will be more funds for infrastructure, school buildings and employment for [our] province mates,” BM Bince announced in a privilege speech.
The proposal to break up Pangasinan into more than six districts was first introduced in 2008 by then First, Second and Third District Representatives Art Celeste, Victor Agbayani, and Rachel Arenas, respectively.
Just like the later attempts by the SB and Bataoil, that 2008 proposal went into oblivion.
“Hingin mo ang copy ng resolution. Si Atty. Verna ( Nava-Perez, SB- Secretary). Siya ang nagbigay ng resolution ni Board Member Bince redistricting from six to eight ang recommendation ko e ni file ko na iyan,” the former Police General turned Solon told this writer.
Based on the latest May 1, 2020 Census of Pangasinan done by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA), the massive province has 3,163, 190 population.
With more than three million people living in Pangasinan, it can have 12 congressional districts. It means additional six from the present six districts.
Section 5 (3) Article VI of the 1987 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”.
New congressional district means specific allocation of a yearly budget for government infrastructures that runs up to one billion pesos.
With a billion pesos appropriation to every district given by the Manila based government – that collected the funds from our people’s taxes – there will be P12 billion annually that enter the Northern Luzon’s province compared to the P6 billion in the present six districts.
A Congressman on conditioned of anonymity told this newspaper that there are several members of the House of Representatives that will not sign for the sponsorship bill on the creation of more districts in the province after President Rodrigo Duterte ascended to power in June 2016.
One of their recalcitrance is to see that the billion pesos allocation yearly in their turf could be reduced too as their district is disfigured by the constitutional edict.
Allocation of that amount is subjected to anomalous transaction where the contractor of the project gives an S.O.P or cut to the solon from twenty to ten percent of a certain infrastructure.
This newspaper assailed these opposing solons for their greed and narrow mindedness.
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MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA
I am a twenty years seasoned Op-Ed Political Writer in various newspapers and Blogger exposing government corruptions, public officials's idiocy and hypocrisies, and analyzing local and international issues. I have a master’s degree in Public Administration and professional government eligibility. I taught for a decade Political Science and Economics in universities in Metro Manila and cities of Urdaneta, Pangasinan and Dagupan. Follow me on Twitter @totoMortz or email me at totomortz@yahoo.com.
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