By DANNY O. SAGUN

FOUR more congressional districts will be added to the present six in Pangasinan — if plans push thru.

The idea is to add more voices in the House of Representatives considering the size and population of Pangasinan, according to lawyer Raul Lambino, who is working closely with the six congressmen in drafting a bill for the purpose.

“Natilak tila no agtayo ongalaw natan, nasabian tilay 2010,” (We’ll be left behind if we don’t move now ; 2010 wil overtake us) he told a radio interview Tuesday, noting the difficulty of introducing the redistricting plan after that year.

He did not mention it but with House Speaker Jose de Venecia at the helm, the plan may be easier to realize now than after his term as House leader.

One of the suggestions is for the towns in the first, second and third districts to be grouped into five districts, and for the fourth, fifth and sixth district towns to compose the other five districts for Pangasinan to have a total 10 districts.

He said that concerns raised by Congressmen Marcos Cojuangco and Conrad Estrella of the fifth and sixth districts, respectively, as to the grouping of the municipalities are being studied by the working group.

Lambino said that redistricting is a better option than the proposal to divide the province into two or even three provinces.
The addition of more districts will in effect mean more pork barrel funds to the province.

He noted that small provinces like Batanes with some 15,000 voters practically get the same benefits as the bigger provinces.

He also said that other political leaders from the province will have bigger chances of becoming members of Congress unlike now when there are only six districts.

The plan may also affect the present membership of the provincial board, Lambino said.

The board is presently composed of 10 members with each district having two members. If there will be 10 districts with two members each, the sangguniang panlalawigan would have 20 members aside from the sectoral representatives.

De Venecia, according to Lambino, is awaiting recommendations on the plan (DOS)