SAN PEDRO CITY, Philippines — Sto. Tomas is officially the newest component city in Batangas province, following a plebiscite that ratified the conversion of the previously first-class municipality.
Official results from the Commission on Elections showed that 22,858 voted “yes,” while 431 voted “no.”
About 22 percent of Sto. Tomas’ voters population went out to cast their votes on Saturday.
In October 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11086 for the conversion of Sto. Tomas into a component city.
An industrial zone on the boundary of Laguna and Batangas provinces, Sto. Tomas has population of 179,844, an income of P911,407,830, and a land area of 10,032.38 has.
City information officer Gerard Laresma, in a phone interview on Sunday, said they were pleased with the plebiscite results. Initially, he said, Sto. Tomas’ cityhood would allow for it to take over the management and upkeep of all provincial roads and increase its revenue from real property taxes.
Aside from Sto. Tomas, the three other cities in the Batangas are Lipa, Tanauan, and Batangas.