Board approves public hearing on additional districts in Pangasinan

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan , Philippines – The provincial board here passed a resolution yesterday directing the committee on laws and ordinances to conduct public hearings on the creation of additional legislative districts in Pangasinan.

Sixth district board member Alfonso Bince Jr. author of the resolution, said Article 6, Section 5 (3) of the Constitution states that each city or province with at least 250,000 residents may constitute one legislative district. 

Bince said that with a population of 2,892,873 by 2013, Pangasinan may be entitled to 10 instead of only six legislative districts. 

He said redistricting will promote representative democracy and result in economic and social progress. 

Bince added that the reapportionment of a province is allowed within three years after a census. He said the last reapportionment of Pangasinan was in 1972. 

Bince called for extensive consultations on the proposal to get the real sentiment of Pangasinenses.

He cited the fate of House Bill 4267 filed by three congressmen of the province – Arthur Celeste, Victor Agbayani and Ma. Rachel Arenas of the first, second and third districts respectively – reapportioning the province into seven districts, which the province strongly opposed and did not get the approval of the Senate.