Manila, Philippines—The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) said some progressive towns at the outskirts of Metro Manila are more deserving of city status than the 16 mostly southern Philippines municipalities pushing for cityhood, despite having low incomes.
At a recent press conference, LCP president and Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos sounded an alarm against what he called “sneaky tactics” used by the 16 towns to achieve city status despite a Supreme Court decision declaring with finality that they were disqualified.
Abalos said they had received information that the 16 towns in Northern Luzon, Eastern and Central Visayas, Southern Luzon, and Mindanao allegedly had been privately writing individual Supreme Court justices to persuade them to change their vote.
Based on government records, the towns generated incomes ranging only from P7.5 million to P56 million.
The towns had asked the high court to be exempted from a law requiring municipalities to have locally generated income of P100 million or higher before they could be declared cities.
Abalos noted that some towns south and east of Metro Manila were far more deserving of city status, including Cabuyao, Laguna, which had revenues of P427 million, Cainta, Rizal, which had P311 million, and Bińan, Laguna, which had P256 million, in 2007.
