Monday, February 04, 2008 Help fight creation of more cities: Labella
A CEBU City legislator is asking colleagues to support the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) fight the creation of new cities through exemption of the requirements set by the Local Government Code.
Councilor Edgardo Labella shared the LCP’s apprehension that if House Bill 24 gets approved, it will “open a legal floodgate which might spur the onrush of cities with limp revenue base for day-to-day operation and delivery of basic services to the people.”
The bill, authored by Rep. Ann Hofer (Zamboanga Sibugay), intends to make 27 towns into cities, which is in line with the government’s plan to make cities in provinces that do not have one.
But Section 10, Article 10 of the Constitution states that “no province, city or municipality may be created, divided, merged, abolished, or its boundary substantially altered except in accordance with the criteria established in the Local Government Code.”
A municipality may be converted into a component city if it posts an average annual income of at least P100 million for two consecutive years and if it has either one of two other requisites: 100 square kilometers of land area or a population of not less than 150,000.
These are defined in Section 450 of Chapter I, Title III and Book III of Republic Act 7160, or the the Local Government Code of 1991.
Labella heads the City Council committee on laws, ordinances, public accountability, and good government.
“It is estimated that around P56 million will be subtracted from the IRA share of each city if and when the aforementioned...(bill) will be approved considering that approximately 27 cities would be qualified to become cities,” Labella said.
“The partnership among local government units directed towards building a strong and competitive Philippine republic (should) not be hindered by instantly-created but income-challenged cities,” he added. (RHM)
