MANILA, Philippines -- The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has asked the Supreme Court to invalidate Congress’ grant of cityhood to 16 municipalities for being against the law.

In oral arguments at the high tribunal on Tuesday, the LCP questioned the upgrade of the towns to cities despite the fact that none of them met the annual income requirement of P100 million.

The 16 towns are Baybay (Leyte), Bogo and Naga (Cebu), Catbalogan (Samar), Lamitan (Basilan), Mati (Davao), Bayugan and Borongan (Samar), Batac (Ilocos Norte), Tabuk (Kalinga), Tandag (Surigao del Sur), El Salvador and Carcar (Cebu), Guilhuingan and Tayabas (Quezon) and Cabadbaran (Agusan del Norte).

The LCP, represented by lawyer Regis Puno, said that turning the 16 municipalities into cities was unconstitutional because the Constitution provides that cities should be created using the criteria set by the “local government code and subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly affected.”

Present laws, Puno said, provide that a municipality must have an annual income of P100 million to become a city.

Puno said public records would show that none of the 16 municipalities met this requirement.

Batac, for example, has an annual income of P33 million, while Baybay and Cabadbaran earn only P14 million each.