SC asked to rule on legality of 12 converted cities

The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has filed before the Supreme Court a petition questioning the conversion of 12 municipalities into cities despite their lack of qualification. Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, LCP president, said the petition was their “last resort" in seeking to declare the laws as “unconstitutional and illegal." The 12 municipalities that have been converted into cities are: Baybay, Leyte; Catbalogan, Samar; Lamitan, Basilan; Tayabas, Quezon; Bayugan, Agusan del Sur; Mati, Davao del Norte; Bogo, Cebu; Tandag, Surigao del Sur; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Tabuk, Kalinga; Batac, Ilocos Norte and Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. Because of the controversy surrounding the bills, Malacañang and the LCP have agreed that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would just allow them to lapse into law instead of signing them. The bills on Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte, Carcar in Cebu and El Salvador in Misamis Oriental have not yet been transmitted to Malacañang. The LCP has said that the municipalities did not meet the average income requirement of P100 million for the past two consecutive years based on the 1991 constant prices as provided for by the Local Government Code. The bills have stated that the towns are exempt from the income requirement. The other requirements are the 10,000-hectare land area and a population of at least 150,000. Treñas claimed that the bills will reduce the share of the existing 118 cities by P3.2 billion. But he was quick to add that “the bone of contention is really the (income) qualification," which he claimed would resort in a “tidal wave" of conversion of towns into cities. “Who will stop a new wave of cities?...What is the use of these limits if these are not followed?" he asked. Malacañang records showed that the conversion of the controversial towns into cities would result in the increase of their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) by 166-290 percent. The biggest beneficiary would be Borongan, whose IRA would rise by 290 percent from P70.25 million in 2007 to P273.95 million in 2008. It will be followed by Tandag, whose IRA would increase by 286 percent, or from P54.32 million to P209.89 million. The other “major beneficiaries" are: Tabuk, from P96.83 million to P361.75 million; El Salvador, from P37.51 million to P139.85 million; Cabadbaran, from P61.138 million to P223.71 million; Bayugan, from P104.45 million to P369.53 million; Batac, from P49.58 million to P173.088 million; Lamitan, from P62.34 million to P211.49 million; Mati, from P11.34 million to P368.96 million; Guihulngan, from P84.11 million to P272.133 million; Baybay, from P94.06 million to P302.06 million; Tayabas, from P66.8 million to P212.55 million; Catbalogan, from P77.87 million to P237.14 million; Bogo, from P56.61 million to P168.98 million; and Carcar, from P72.71 million to P193.55 million. The cities that would end up as the biggest “losers" in terms of IRA reduction are: Puerto Princesa, P39.69 million; Santiago, P20.79 million; Malaybalay, P15.74 million; Calbayog, P13.25 million; and Bayawan, P11.73 million. - GMANews.TV