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Friday, March 02, 2007
Mayor backs campaign for veto of cityhood bills
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is supporting the campaign of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) to veto all cityhood bills that were passed by Congress before they adjourned last month.
But Duterte frowned upon the group's move to campaign against senators seeking reelection who approved the conversion of towns into cities without the income requirements of cityhood.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007
He said Davao City stands to lose about P200 million from its Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share from the National Government if President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signs into law at least 15 cityhood bills.
LCP president and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, in a newspaper report, said all member mayors, 117 of them, would urge their constituents not to vote for senators who approved the bills.
In a resolution passed by the LCP national executive board on February 8, the mayors asked President Arroyo to veto the cityhood bills.
The group also planned to come out with paid advertisements and other measures to campaign against the senators.
Among the towns awaiting to become cities anytime soon are Batac, Ilocos Norte; Tabuk, Kalinga; Tayabas, Quezon; Carcar and Bogo in Cebu; Baybay, Leyte; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Catbalogan, Samar; El Salvador, Misamis Oriental; Bayugan, Agusan del Norte; Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte; Tandag, Surigao del Sur; Lamitan, Basilan; Mati, Davao Oriental, and Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.
The senators who voted for the bills and are seeking for reelection include Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Ralph Recto, Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, and Manuel Villar.
There was even a suggestion from some senators that a policy be adopted converting capital towns of provinces without cities into cities.
Republic Act 9009 requires that a town should have a locally generated income of at least P100 million annually before it could be classified into a city. It was learned though that some of those about to become cities have not passed the income requirement, thus Congress made some exemptions.
The LCP officials said such a move is detrimental to the existing cities.
The mayors demanded that there be no "shortcuts" in the creation of new cities, saying that they are not opposing creation of new cities "if the government could afford to support them." (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (March 2, 2007 issue)
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