No choice for League of Cities but to accept 16 new members

PAGADIAN City—The 122-member League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has finally accepted the fact that they would have 16 new members, a day after their meeting here, in which representatives of new cities had been barred.

“We cannot do anything about it,” LCP Chairman and San Fernando City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez said Saturday of the Supreme Court decision declaring constitutional the Republic Acts converting the municipalities of Baybay in Leyte; Bogo in Cebu; Catbalogan in Samar; Tandag in Surigao del Sur; Borongan in Eastern Samar; Tayabas in Quezon province; Lamitan in Basilan; Tabuk in Kalinga; Bayugan in Agusan del Sur; Batac in Ilocos Norte; Mati in Davao Oriental; Guihulngan in Negros Oriental; Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte; Carcar in Cebu; El Salvador in Misamis Oriental and Naga in Cebu, as cities.

The high tribunal had thrice flip-flopped on its decision on the case. In 2008, it declared unconstitutional some of the laws that declared the towns as cities. But in 2009, it reversed the decision, giving a nod to the 16 towns’ cityhood. Again, in 2010, the Supreme Court insisted on its 2008 ruling.

But early this year, it issued its final decision in favor of the new cities.

Rodriguez said the high court has issued an Entry of Judgment on the case, making its decision final and executory.

Surrender

“It is surrender in a sense that there is nothing we can do about it,” Rodriguez told the Inquirer.

During Friday afternoon’s meeting of the LCP National Executive Board here, the discussions were no longer on the legal battle against the 16 new cities, but on how to cushion the impact of a reduced Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), a subsidy that local government units receive from the national government.

Rodriguez said among the ways to cushion the impact of IRA reduction is to collect their P500-billion IRA share, which the government has not remitted since 1992.

With a reduced IRA, Pagadian Mayor Samuel Co said his city would lose at least P50 million, which could be used for social services, assistance to the police, city-paid public school teachers and salary increase of government workers.

Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, on the other hand, said his city would lose at least P78 million in IRA with the entry of the new cities.

But Gatchalian, who is also the league’s vice president for the National Capital Region, said he was no longer opposing the entry of the new cities. For him, the LCP needs to respect the high court’s decision.

“The LCP would not look good if it will not follow the Supreme Court,” he said.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has accepted the fact that there are 16 new cities.

“We have to respect the Supreme Court. The Department of Budget Management has already acknowledged the Entry of Judgment of the Supreme Court and correspondingly advised cities of the reduction (of IRA),” Ms. Duterte told the Inquirer.

“For Davao City, we have already considered the IRA reduction when we drafted the 2012 budget,” Duterte added.

Rodriguez said some cities have also made some adjustments in their 2012 budget.

He said they would also talk to President Aquino for help in cushioning the impact of a reduced IRA.

Assistance

“We will ask the President for some financial assistance,” Rodriguez said.

“We need a win-win solution to this problem,” Rodriguez added.

Mayor Michelle Rabat of Mati, Davao Oriental, in a phone interview, said it was “nice to hear” the news that the LCP was willing to accept them.

Rodriguez, however, could not say how to start bridging the gap between the old and the new cities.

“I don’t know,” Rodriguez said when asked if the LCP would be the first to reach out by formally inviting the new cities to be league members.

Rodriguez said he was also unsure if the chiefs of the new cities would be invited to the LCP annual meeting next year.

Rodriguez said what he was certain about was that after years of legal battle, “there will be a closure” to the controversy brought about by the flip-flopping high court decision.—Nico Alconaba, Inquirer Mindanao