Only 3 districts to be affected

By September 10, 2008Headlines, News

ONLY three congressional districts of Pangasinan from the present six would be recast or reconfigured in order to create a new legislative district for Pangasinan under House Bill No. 4267 originally authored by Reps. Arthur Celeste, Victor Agbayani and Rachel Arenas.

To be re-districted are Celeste’s first district; Agbayani’s second district and Arenas’ third district. Of the three solons, only Celeste is due to finish his last term in 2010 while Agbayani and Arenas are first-termers.

Celeste has withdrawn his sponsorship.

The configuration of the present fourth, fifth and sixth congressional districts (the turfs of Reps. Jose de Venecia Jr., Mark Cojuangco and Conrado Estrella III) will not be affected.

Under the bill, the new first district will be composed of Alaminos City Agno, Anda, Bani, Bolianao and Burgos; the second district to be composed of Binmaley, Dasol, Infanta, Lingayen, Labrador, Mabini and Sual; and the third district will be composed of San Carlos City, Basista, Urbiztondo, Mangatarem, Aguilar and Bugallon.

The new fourth district will include the towns of Malasiqui, Bayambang, Sta. Barbara, Calasiao and Mapandan; fifth district will have Dagupan, Mangaldan, San Fabian, San Jacinto and Manaoag; sixth district with Bautista, Alcala, Sto. Tomas, Villasis, Urdaneta City, Binalonan, Laoac, Pozorrubio and Sison; and the 7th and new district will comprise of Rosales, Sta. Maria, Tayug, Asingan, San Manuel, San Nicolas, San Quintin, Natividad, Umingan, Balungao and San Quintin.

Affected mayors reacted sharply to the planned redistricting because it did not lump contiguous areas like in the case of the proposed second district.

They said Infanta, Dasol and Mabini are too far away from Binmaley, Lingayen, Labrador and Sual as well as Labrador.

They said it is inconceivable to lump these towns into a district since there are no road networks TO connect them. —LM

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