Mayors bat for moratorium on creation of new cities - Malaya 09.19.2006

OFFICIALS of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) yesterday asked senators for a moratorium on the creation of new cities.

The LCP, a bastion of people’s initiative advocates, trooped to the Senate to advise senators that newly-created cities effectively shrink their share of internal revenue allotment (IRA).
City mayors led by Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn and Dagupan City Mayor Amadeo Perez also expressed opposition to the House’s passage of a joint resolution exempting towns vying for cityhood from complying with Republic Act 9009.

RA 9009, which partially amended the Local Government Code, requires towns vying for cityhood to have an average annual income of P100 million for the last two consecutive years. The Local Government Code also requires prospective cities to have a territory of at least 100 square kilometers and a population of not less than 150,000.

If passed by the Senate, the counterpart resolution would allow aspirants for cityhood to skirt the law’s requirements and usher in a deluge of new cities.

Perez, a former congressman, said the House is practically passing four cityhood bills a month and this is undermining the economic development of existing cities which have to compete for their shrunken IRA every time a new city is created.

He also said the cityhood shortcut is unfair to cities which complied with the requirements.
Perez said that of the 23 cityhood candidates awaiting action by the Senate, three should be disqualified outright for not having the required land size and population: El Salvador in Misamis Oriental, Pototan in Iloilo and San Juan in Metro Manila. – Dennis Gadil