City mayors' league endorses cityhood bid of 21 towns

MANILA, Philippines – While it is contesting the recent ruling of the Supreme Court validating the cityhood conversion of 16 towns, the League of Cities of the Philippines backed the cityhood bid of 21 municipalities that met the requirements of the Local Government Code.

The 21 municipalities that get the support of the LCP for their cityhood conversion are as follows:

• Cabuyao and San Pedro (Laguna)
• Cainta, Taytay, and Binangonan (Rizal)
• Bacoor, Gen. Trias, Imus, Carmona, and Silang (Cavite)
• San Pedro (Laguna)
• Pantabangan (Nueva Ecija)
• Calaca, Sto. Tomas, Bauan and Nasugbu ( Batangas)
• Mauban in (Quezon)
• Marilao, Sta. Maria and Norzagaray (Bulacan)
• Limay (Bataan)

LCP national president Oscar Rodriguez (San Fernando, Pampanga) said the 21 towns have already reached the mandatory requirements for cityhood coversion.



The Local Government Code provides that a municipality may be converted into a component city if it meets two of three requirements – locally generated average annual income of P100 million, contiguous territory of at least 100 square kilometers, and population of not less than 150,000.

“The LCP has been consistent in its position: it endorses, and will continue to endorse, in Congress all cityhood application of municipalities that meet the requirements,” Rodriguez said.

The 122-member LCP is battling against the conversion of 16 other municipalities that allegedly “circumvented the requirements of the law”.

The 16 towns include Baybay (Leyte); Bogo (Cebu); Catbalogan (Samar); Tandag (Surigao del Sur); Borongan (Eastern Samar); Tayabas (Quezon province); Lamitan (Basilan); Tabuk (Kalinga); Bayugan (Agusan del Sur); Batac (Ilocos Norte); Mati (Davao Oriental); Guihulngan (Negros).

 “We have nothing personal against the 16 municipalities. But applicants for cityhood must first meet the qualifications for cityhood, without resorting to legal shortcuts,” said LCP secretary-general Hernani Braganza (Alaminos, Pangasinan).

-Philstar