MORE CONG DISTRICTS, MORE MONIES

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Last July 29, I diligently observed the public consultation undertaken by the Sanguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) on the implication of redistricting or legislative apportionment in Pangasinan.
Many spectators were there, including many, as usual son of a gun, board members who did not make their homework.

These assignments should be reading the two pages annotation of the Philippine Constitution by Lawyer Hector de Leon on apportionment vis-a-vis Section 5 (4) of Article VI.
To cut short my verbiage: Adding two more congressional districts in the humongous province Pangasinan has more advantages.

Philippines Congress

First, two legislative district means P70 million each from the Priority Development Allocation Fund or the controversial “Pork Barrel” or P140 million for Pangasinan from both of them; Second, striking out the more than 200 thousand populated city of San Carlos in the present aggrupation of towns like Bayambang, Calasiao, Malasiqui, Mapandan, and San Barbara in the Third Congressional District means Representative Baby Arenas’ PDAF can benefit more of her constituents in terms of school buildings, roads, books, scholarships.
***
That’s why I ribbed a resource person, a distinguished member of the BAR who sported a coat & tie after I bumped into him at the ground floor of the stately American era provincial Capitol.

“Sir, I appreciated your being poetic by quoting an American adage “If ain’t broken, why fix it”. But we were not talking at the August Chamber about the already stable six congressional districts in Pangasinan .What we are in after are proportional representation and the advantages of an additional P140 million pork barrel for infrastructure in the province that has been abandoned by President Aquino (Read the SONA 2013) after his gubernatorial bet did not win in the poll”.
***
Another member of the Board poses during the hearing of redistricting:

“What will happen if two of the six members of Congress oppose the redistricting of the province?”

I cringed in my seat with the idiocy of the two dads as seen by broadcaster RJ.

RJ, a down to earth friend, thought that NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) and Wharton (School of Economics at Harvard University) of news scribe Orly Guirao and former Congressman Ranjit Shahani was a woman who has a tryst with Orly and the War Tones he (R.J) downloaded from computer shop to his fancy cell phone.

“That Board Member should know, as what students of political science know that Congress in general decides despite the opposition of congressmen in the province that would be affected by the redistricting,” I whispered to RJ of Home Radio.

Another media man, who did not make researches, butted in:
“Besides, before Congress can enact a law on legislative apportionment, Pangasinenses would ratify first if they want more redistricting”.

“No, ratification is only for barangays or town that wants to be town or city respectively. Or towns that want to be a province,” I told him.

He asked me where I got my basis.

  “I read that on papel ng gawgaw given to me by radio man Harold Barcelona,” I cited.
***
After the session attended by political dignitaries like former congressman Mark Cojuangco, Abono Party Chairman Rosendo So, San Carlos City Mayor Ayoy Resuello, Mayors League President Noel Nacar, Calasiao Vice Mayor Roy Macanlalay, I met in front of the Capitol San Carlos City’s Vice Mayor Bogs Resuello who posed to me: “ What will happen to the terms of incumbent congressmen affected by the reduction of the district?”

I opined: Rep. Gina de de Venecia remains. She ends her term after she wins the 2016 post. The stricken-out town of San Jacinto that will be transferred to the Third Congressional District will not disturb Gina’s term.

The same too with Rep. Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas in case she seeks reelection in 2016 and 2019 (that’s if daughter former solon Rachel make a comeback as I wrote in my earlier column) as her residence Malasiqui remains with the Third Congressional District.

It’s a different story with Rep.Marlyn Agabas-Primicias, a resident of San Nicolas. In case she wins the 2016 election, she starts a new term Seventh Congressional District where San Nicolas was grouped in Option 1 with Balungao, San Manuel, San Quintin, Santa Maria, Tayug, Nativida, and Umingan, or grouped in Option 2 with Rosales, Balungao, San Quintin, San Maria, Tayug, Natividad, and Umingan.
“How about Board Members like Raul Sison and Nino Arboleda who whined that they do not want their towns (Urbiztondo for Raul, Alcala for Nino) whisked away from the 2nd and 5th congressional district because it would be a kiss of death in case they seek re-election in a district that they did not belong to in the past elections?” a professor from Iskol Bukol University named Atong Remogat asked.
“Siempri madali lang iyan, Raul and Nino can change their residence to the district where most of the towns of their old district belong. The law says one year residence and registration as voter there qualifies one to become a candidate for an office there,” another professor of vulcanizing from Wanbol University opined.

***

Over bottles of cold San Miguel Lights somewhere near the Lingayen beach, media men Ronel de Vera, the pet peeve of reporter Jaime Aquino, and Mon Untalan argued passionately if the gargantuan San Carlos City, with 86 villages by golly, is included in the apportionment bill by riding on the constitutional requirement of not less than 250,000 populations.

 “What will happen to the towns of Mapandan, Sta. Barbara, Bayamabang, Malasiqui, and Calasiao that will settle with the hypothetical 150, 000 residents,” Sammy, of Sual and the bête noire of Mayor Bing Arcinue, said.

“That’s short of the requirement for the real Third Congressional District,” Harold Barcelona, a political science graduate of the University of Pangasinan, argued.

“The Comelec should get another town from the nearby districts so the real district’s population will not regress to below 250,000,” Mon added.

“You’re wrong! Ronel, the protégée at the college of Law professor Raul Lambinino, reasoned out.

“It should be an act of Congress!”

Boy Pantal, the driver of veteran newsman Jun Velasco, enlightened the inebriated media practitioners who would be coming to blows by reading the contents of the Papel de Hapon inserted at the book of Constitutionalist Father Joaquin Bernas,

Pantal told me he borrowed the book from Ed Imus.

“If, however, as a result of the increase of the number of legislative districts, either because of the creation of a new province or of a city, an imbalance results in the remaining legislative districts of the mother province, the Comelec has no authority to correct the imbalance by the transfer of municipalities from one district to another. Correction of the imbalance must await the enactment of a reapportionment law (Montejo v. Comelec. G.R No. 118702, March 16, 1995).  

“That means an Act of Congress,” Ronel, after swigging a bottle, quipped.

READ MY OTHER BLOG/COLUMN:

GUICO MULLS MORE CONG. DISTRICTS IN P'GASINAN

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