By Leonardo Micua

 

WE gladly welcome House Bill 5133 filed by Abono Party-list Representatives Robert Estrella Jr., with perhaps all, if not most, of our Pangasinan reps as co-authors, seeking the reapportionment of the big province into eight legislative districts from its present six.

This move is actually long overdue, considering that today, Pangasinan has a population of approximately 3.2 million, and mathematically, Pangasinan should have more than eight legislative districts, as the minimum population of each legislative district, based on the 1987 Constitution, is 250,000.

Before the proclamation of Martial Law that abolished  Congress and in part the 1935 Constitution, lawmakers from Pangasinan were already dead-set on reapportioning the province as they noted that the province’s population was already growing leaps and bounds.

But our representatives then exercised caution and circumspection in discussing the issue of reapportionment in public, fearing that if they do, they would be accused by their constituents of gerrymandering to favor their respective interests.

But as an option to reapportionment, then Rep. Aguedo Agbayani – who had a personal feud with then-sitting Governor Cipriano Primicias Jr., who beat him by 5 votes in a Nacionalista Party provincial convention that many said was rigged – filed a bill in Congress controlled by the Nacionalista Party seeking to divide Pangasinan into two or three separate provinces.

Then, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. panicked and introduced a win-win solution for his NP allies in Pangasinan.  He let Tito Primicias run for senator in the 1971 election, and Agbayani run for governor. Agbayani won, but Tito lost in his Senate bid.

With Agbayani as governor, the “Divide Pangasinan” move he started died a natural death.

Among our present crop of politicians in Pangasinan, who would have the nerve to revive the long-dead “Divide Pangasinan” move as an option to the province’s reapportionment?

No one, perhaps, until Ramon Guico III is still the governor.

But if the purpose of reapportionment is to have more representatives who will deliver services to Pangasinan and its people, it may sound a bit unacceptable because House reps are legislators first, and as project proponents only second. They can’t bring in pork barrels, as this had been outlawed by the Supreme Court.

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Still on the reapportionment of Pangasinan, recall that when the 1987 Constitution or the so-called Cory Aquino Constitution, took effect, a new district was added to the previous five of Pangasinan.

For the information of the millennials and members of the Gen Z, and the newbies in Pangasinan, the original five legislative districts were headed by Aguedo Agbayani, first; Jose de Venecia, Jr., second; Fabian Sison, third; Antonio Villar Sr., fourth; and Robert Estrella, fifth. When Agbayani ran for governor, he vacated his first district seat. 

The former first district consisted of a large area in western Pangasinan covering Aguilar, Bugallon, Lingayen, Labrador, Sual, Alaminos, Bani, Anda, Bolinao, Mabini, Burgos, Dasol and Infanta. De Venecia’s former second district was originally composed of Dagupan City, Binmaley, San Carlos City, Basista, Urbiztondo and Mangatarem. The third district then was composed of Bayambang, Malasiqui, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara. Mapandan, Mangaldan, San Jacinto, and San Fabian. The old fourth district used to include Manaoag, Binalonan, Pozorrubio, Sison, Urdaneta, Villasis, Sto. Tomas, Alcala and Bautista. In the third district, Corazon Primicias was proclaimed winner of the election in 1968, but lost her seat when Atty. Fabian Sison won his electoral protest. 

The old fifth district covered San Manuel, Asingan, Sta. Maria, Rosales, Tayug, San Nicolas, San Quintin, Umingan, and Balungao. 

With the 1987 constitution in effect, a reconfiguration was made, and the division is, by and large, as we have now.

In Estella’s proposal, the first district under Rep. Art Celeste will remain intact, the second district under Rep. Mark Cojuangco will lose only the town of Basista, which will join Alcala, Bautista, Bayambang and Urbiztondo in the proposed 8th district. The fourth district will give away Manaoag to join the fifth district along with Laoac, Binalonan, Pozorrubio, Sison and Urdaneta, but it will lose Villasis and Sto. Tomas to the 7th district along with Rosales, Sta. Maria and Balungao. 

While Estella’s bill is still at the committee level, there should be comprehensive consultations throughout Pangasinan to ascertain the pulse of the 3.2 million Pangasinenses on the matter.

It is not only the areas that are being reconfigured by the proposed reapportionment but also the wealth and resources, especially human resources, of these places.