Friday, November 21, 2008 Mayors' group wants DBM to hold allotment release By Edmund B. Sestoso
BAIS CITY, Negros Oriental -- The League of Cities has requested the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to withhold the release of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) shares of the 16 recently nullified cities.
The Supreme Court (SC) recently ruled that the cityhood of 16 local government units (LGUs) is illegal and unconstitutional.
Bais City Mayor Hector Villanueva, the league's incumbent vice president for the Visayas, said the request was already forwarded to the DBM.
The mayor, in an interview, explained it was not the fault of the local chief executives of the concerned LGUs but of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which hastily passed the cityhood laws even though it violated specific provisions of the Local Government Code as pointed out by the SC.
Villanueva said since the lawyers of the affected 16 LGUs will be filing a motion for reconsideration, they urged both the Malacañang and the DBM to withhold the IRA shares of these 16 affected LGUs.
The mayor said under the present judicial system, it is the right of the affected LGUs to file a motion for reconsideration.
He added that Bais City failed to collect a total of P36 million and he intends to get back the money to finance various infrastructure projects, including the provision of basic services.
At present, the city has a P248 million annual share of the IRA, excluding the P36 million which was given to newly created cities last year.
The 16 laws cover the cityhood laws of the following municipalities: Baybay (Leyte), Bogo (Cebu), Catbalogan (Samar), Tandag (Surigao del Sur), Borongan (Eastern Samar), Tayabas (Quezon province), Lamitan (Basilan), Tabuk (Kalinga Apayao), Bayugan (Agusan del Sur), Batac (Ilocos Norte), Mati (Davao Oriental), Guihulngan (Negros Oriental), Cabadbaran (Agusan del Norte), Carcar (Cebu), El Salvador (Misamis Oriental), and Naga (Cebu).
