CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Third District Board Member-Elect Rosve Henson appealed to the four congressmen-elect of the province to review the possible redistricting of the legislative districts of Pampanga.
Henson believed that it is time to redistrict Pampanga given its population that needs to be heard and represented in Congress.
“Our Congressman should not only work for the declaration of San Fernando and Angeles City as lone districts but also to consider the redistricting of the whole province,” Henson said.
The new board member said all the congressmen in the province, provincial government, and local government units should sit-down and collaborate for the possible creation of at least two additional districts.
“All congressmen in the province should consult with the local leaders. This is to know the real situation of each town when it comes to representation and distribution of the services and projects from the national government and Philippine Development Assistance Fund (PDAF),” Henson said.
Congress is mandated to reapportion the legislative districts within three years following the return of every census. It was learned that despite the publication of four censuses in 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2007 only piecemeal of apportionment law was passed.
Section 5-3, Article 6 of the Constitution requires a minimum population of 250,000 for a local government unit (LGU) or clusters of LGUs to be declared a congressional district. Each district should be composed of a “contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory.
Based on the 2007 Census, Pampanga has a population of 2,226,444 if reapportionment will be made the province should have 8 districts according to Newsbreak, an investigative and research arm of Rappler.
Redistricting move may entail additional campaign expenses and redistribution of district resources but according to Henson it is worth doing.
“Every move has birth pains but it is worth sacrificing because it will promote representative democracy and later on will benefit the people and ensure progress in the province,” he said.
BY JENNA LUMBANG
