Guv: Mabalacat will be Pampanga’s 3rd city

MABALACAT -- Governor Lilia Pineda expressed optimism that the people of Mabalacat will vote in favor of the conversion of the first-class town into a component city.

Pineda issued the statement during a rally in front of the old town hall in Barangay Poblacion on Thursday where she urged constituents here to go out on Saturday to vote for “Yes” to cityhood in a referendum scheduled by the Commission on Elections.

The governor, who received a warm welcome from thousands of cityhood supporters, said P200 million will add up to the income of the town once it is converted into a city.

At the same time, Pineda assured that the Provincial Capitol will still help the local government here even if it becomes a component city.

“E naman pu buring sabyan na uling city ne ing Mabalacat e na ne sopan ning kapitolyu. Sundu ku pa mu rin pu ing pamanyaup kekayu,” Pineda told the people.

Pineda also asked Mayor Marino Morales to earmark some P50 million for various projects for the multi-sectoral groups like senior citizens, urban poor associations, women’s organizations, and others.

The governor said the Provincial Government will also appropriate P50 million as counterpart funds.

She also urged Morales to consult the multi-sectoral groups here regarding their needs and other development programs for the city.

“Ing gawan mi pung Mayor Morales, puntalan da kayu pu kaybat na ning referendum banta pisabyan tamu nung nanu ing dapat tamung gawan,” Pineda said.

Morales earlier said he is optimistic that the people will support the conversion of the town into a component city.

In a survey, 71 percent of the respondents voted “Yes”, 15 voted “No”, and the remaining were undecided, according to Morales.

He said basic services will be effectively delivered to the people once the town becomes a city.

“We will be able to construct more school buildings and hospital in line with the education and health programs of the local government,” Morales said.