SC stops plebiscite for higher Cabanatuan City status
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MANILA, Philippines—The Supreme Court on Tuesday stopped the plebiscite on the conversion of Cabanatuan from a component city into a highly urbanized city (HUC) which was scheduled for Jan. 25.
Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelio Umali went to the Supreme Court seeking to stop the plebiscite insisting that the entire province should participate in the elections, not only residents of Cabanatuan.
Umali said residents of the entire province will be affected once Cabanatuan becomes a HUC.
Under the Local Government Code, an HUC must have a minimum population of 200,000 and an annual income of at least P50 million. Once it has become an HUC, registered voters in the area will no longer elect officials of the provincial government—governor, vice governor and provincial board members. On the other hand, the provincial government has no administrative supervision over the city and its elected officials.
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