Monday, May 12, 2008 Mayor eyes Liloan’s conversion to city; plan to take 5-8 years
ALTHOUGH he does not see it happening soon, Liloan Mayor Vincent “Duke” Frasco is preparing for the conversion of his municipality into a city.
In the municipal govern-ment’s official publication, Paglaum, town officials said that the bid for their cityhood is one of Frasco’s priorities.
Frasco admitted, though, that it would take a long time before the town can become a city since the process for it is quite long. He expects the conversion to happen in five to eight years, he said.
As reported in Paglaum, the mayor promised the town council and his constituents that he will iron out the requirements for Liloan’s conversion to a city.
“This is a big dream but I believe that with effort and cooperation, this dream will come true,” the mayor was quoted as saying in the newsletter.
Frasco said the biggest advantage their conversion into a city will bring is the increase in their internal revenue allotment (IRA).
To become a city, a town has to meet either the population requirement of 150,000 or the land area requirement of 10,000 hectares.
Based on the August 2007 population count, Liloan’s population is only 92,181.
A town also has to meet the income requirement, which was increased from P20 million to P100 million. This could be the municipal government’s biggest challenge, having generated only P13 to P14 million in 2006.
But Frasco said that he has already taken steps to make the town’s dream a reality.
This year, Liloan will be revising its 10-year-old Tax Code and will also develop the town’s water supply system.
The mayor said that the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) gets water from Liloan and he wants to draft a wholesale agreement with the water company to increase their revenues.
Since the town’s population has also increased, Frasco is confident that businesses will come in.
While he has yet discuss his plan with Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano IV (Cebu, 5th district), Frasco is confident that Durano will be agreeable to the idea because it is for Liloan’s own good.
It will be up to the legislator to push for the conversion in Congress, he said.
While many cities opposed the conversion of the cities of Bogo, Carcar and Naga because it reduced the cities’ share of the IRA, Liloan officials hope they will be treated differently.
Bogo, Carcar and Naga were converted into cities without meeting the P100 million income requirement because the bills for their conversion were passed before the amendment of the income clause.
“Perhaps, if we meet the requirements, they would have no reason to object,” said Frasco. (JGA)
