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Sunday, January 27, 2008
Mayors block aspiring cities
CEBU CITY -- Officials of some 120 cities nationwide will stage a mass action Monday during their flag-raising ceremonies to protest the creation of new cities that they blamed for eroding local government incomes.
Officials of each local government unit (LGU), wearing black armbands, will read a three-page manifesto asking for a moratorium on the creation new cities.
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The cities will also fly their flags at half-staff as part of the protest.
Central Visayas mayors will also meet in the office of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña Monday to map out plans for the effort, said Toledo City Mayor Arlene Zambo.
She said that in Toledo alone, they lost P31 million in their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share with last year's creation of 16 new cities, which included Cebu's Carcar, Bogo, and Naga.
She said that instead of a P307-million IRA share, Toledo just got P277 million.
This year, Zambo said, there is a plan 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.
She was referring to House Bill 24 filed by Representative Ann Hofer (Zamboanga-Sibugay) last July.
"And that is sought even when the requirements are not met," she said.
New cities
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 P20 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 the Local Government Code.
Zambo said they would meet in Osmeña's office because he was especially vocal against the creation of more cities.
A document from the League of Cities of the Philippines shows that Cebu City depends on the IRA for 36.46 percent of its operating funds.
The National Government last year set aside P151.6 billion as the LGUs' IRA share based on the 2006 budget.
Measly hike
In March 2007, President Arroyo told the Philippine Councilors' League that P15 billion was to be set aside as additional IRA share.
For this year, the Department of Budget and Management released P210.7 billion as IRA share for all LGUs, with P74.9 billion going to the cities.
"This means that the cities get a measly increase in IRA despite the growing needs of the cities," read the manifesto prepared by the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).
"We express our indignation and protest against the conversion of 16 municipalities into cities (by) the 13th Congress even if they (new cities) did not meet the income and population requirements as mandated by law," it said.
As set by the Local Government Code of 1991, 40 percent of the national tax collection should go to the LGUs, 23 percent of which will go to the 120 cities of the country.
This means that for every P1 collected as tax, 40 centavos will be shared by the provinces, municipalities, and cities.
Of the 40 centavos, 23 percent (nine centavos) will go to the cities.
Dismayed
According to the manifesto, Puerto Princesa was the one most grievously affected because instead of a P146-million IRA share, it will only get P1.7 million, or a loss of P144 million.
The city in Palawan, which supposedly has the biggest land area, depends on its IRA for 90.67 percent of its operating costs.
Puerto Princesa's loss was due to the use of the 2000 population data in the IRA computation.
"We echo our dismay on the railroaded process of converting these 16 cities without due consideration of what is required by law. We are appalled by the inconsiderate and hasty move of the Congress...without thinking of the dire consequences it will bring to the existing cities, and more importantly, to our constituents," stated the manifesto.
The LCP argued that the creation of more cities adversely affects the delivery of services, and cities are burdened not just by the increase of the number of residents but also with the presence of transients like workers, students, tourists, and businessmen whom they must also serve. (RHM of Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (January 27, 2008 issue)
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