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Friday, November 21, 2008
'League of 16' vows to fight for cityhood
DAVAO CITY -- The 16 towns whose cityhood was nullified Tuesday by the Supreme Court vowed to fight it out in the high court as they formed a coalition named "League of 16."
The coalition is now preparing a motion for reconsideration to be filed before the Supreme Court (SC).
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The 16 assailed cityhoods are Baybay in Leyte province, Bogo in Cebu, Catbalogan in Samar, Tandag in Surigao Del Sur, Borongan in Eastern Samar, Tayabas in Quezon, Lamitan in Basilan, Tabuk in Kalinga, Bayugan in Agusan Del Sur, Batac in Ilocos Norte, Mati in Davao Oriental, Guihulngan in Negros Oriental, Cabadbaran in Agusan Del Norte, Carcar in Cebu, El Salvador in Misamis Oriental, and Naga in Cebu province.
In an interview in Davao City Thursday, Mati Mayor Michelle Rabat said they are now preparing their unified motion and will file it once they receive the official copy of the SC decision.
Rabat said that with the close SC voting, 7-5, they are hopeful that the high court would change its mind and reconsider in favor of the 16 towns.
Asked about the dire effect of the nullification of their cityhood, Rabat said that for starters, they stand to lose P277 million from their annual internal revenue allotment (IRA).
She said this would also have a ripple effect on the local government's services and programs that may eventually result in the laying off of about 600 employees.
The P1-million annual allocation to 16 barangays might also be stopped, as well as the local government unit's (LGUs) subsidy to 2,200 public school students.
Rabat said these are just a few of the sectors that will be affected by the SC decision. She warned that with the city offices they have already created, the LGU might go bankrupt from paying the salaries alone.
"The biggest question now is how do we unmake a city? We have already created several City Government offices and departments. We also have raised the salaries of our employees to city grade. We might declare bankruptcy if worse comes to worst," Rabat said.
The mayor said it is for this reason they will never allow the SC decision to become final and executory without putting up a fight.
"I am not giving up hope. I am going to fight this to the last blood," Rabat said.
It was learned that the League of 16 had a meeting with Speaker Prospero Nograles Wednesday, and will meet with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Saturday to seek the Senate's help.
Asked what they would do once the SC makes its decision final and executory, Rabat said they will have no other course but to bow down to the court decision.
She vowed though that in five year's time, they can already surpass the P100 million-requirement for local revenue income and will have no problem passing other requirements.
In a decision penned by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the SC said the local governments that were made cities through the assailed cityhood laws could not claim they were exempted from Republic Act (RA) 9009.
RA 9009, which took effect in June 2001 or six years before the cityhood laws were passed, amended Section 450 of the Local Government Code by increasing the annual income requirement for conversion of a municipality into a city from P20 million to P100 million.
The amendment was made to restrain the "mad rush" of municipalities converting into cities solely to secure a larger share in the IRA despite their being incapable of fiscal independence.
Voting 7-5 with 2 abstentions, the high court said the laws that elevated 16 municipalities into cityhood violated the Local Government Code. (BOT/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (November 21, 2008 issue)
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