Bince to Reps: Do your part!
REDISTRICTING
LINGAYEN—The plan to redistrict the province from six to eight or ten legislative districts apparently has not caught fire among the present crop of legislators and this led a provincial board member to hurl a challenge to the men and women in congress.
“The ball is now in your court,” sixth district board member Alfonso Bince Jr. reminded the congressmen.
Bince, in his privilege speech during the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) regular session last August 11, challenged Reps. Jesus Celeste (first), Leopoldo Bataoil (second), Rosemary Baby Arenas (third), Gina de Venecia (fourth), Carmen Cojuangco (fifth), and Marlyn Primicias Agabas (sixth district) “to devote time on this very important measure and not to engage in early politics.”
He urged them to “find time and work to study the options of redistricting submitted by the ad hoc committee of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan” and finally “file the needed bill regrouping our province”
He called on the congressmen’s “courage, patriotism, and unselfishness to let go of some of their towns within their present congressional districts and support a more prosperous Pangasinan through creation of two more congressional districts.”
Last July 30, the ad hoc committee, tasked to study the feasibility of redistricting the province from eight to 10 districts, has furnished the congressmen the results of their public consultation on the proposal to further convince the latter of the urgency to redistrict.
The committee proposed two options for the redistricting: (first option) first and fourth districts to remain intact; (second option) all districts to be affected.
Bince said the province with 2.9-million population has only six districts while other provinces such as Cavite with 3.7 million and Cebu with 2.6-million population have seven 7 districts, respectively.
“It cannot be denied that the addition of two more congressional districts for the province will undoubtedly bring tremendous progress considering the assistance that will come from the national government through the congress,” he said.
For his part, Bataoil said, “I am in the process of consulting my district (on the redistricting).” (Johanne R. Macob)
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