Third city in Isabela signed into law

MANILA -- Voters in Ilagan, the provincial capital of Isabela, will troop to polling precincts on August 11 to decide if they will accept the law converting the town into a city.

President Benigno Aquino III signed Republic Act 10169 last June 21, a month after both houses of Congress approved the measure. It is the second time that Ilagan residents will be called for a referendum on the cityhood bid after rejecting a similar move in 1998.

If the law gets the nod of the majority of voters, Ilagan will be the fourth city in Cagayan Valley, joining Santiago City and Cauayan City, both in Isabela, and Tuguegarao City in Cagayan.

"The conversion of Ilagan into city will definitely enhance the capability of respective local government unit to deliver the needed basic services to its inhabitants," Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate committee on local government, said.

Marcos said Ilagan has the right to be converted to a city as it possesses two of the three legal requirements.

As of 2010, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said the town has a population of 135,174, which falls a bit short from the required 150,000 inhabitants.

However, the town surpassed the minimum requirement for land area and income. Ilagan has a land area of 742.90 square kilometers, which is higher than the mandated 100 square kilometers.

On the other hand, the average annual regular income of Ilagan for 2010 and 2011 amounts to P105,734,823.25, higher than the P100-million income set by the revised Local Government Code. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)