13 Negros cities
lose P500M IRA
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The 13 cities of Negros Occidental are losing about P500 million in Internal Revenue Allotment this year with the creation of 16 new cities that prompted a nationwide protest yesterday.

Employees in most of the 13 cities in Negros Occidental yesterday wore black arm bands to protest, along with 107 other cities around the country, against what the League of Cities of the Philippines called Congress' creation of 16 new cities, despite their failure to meet requirements mandated by law.

Let us urge our legislators to stop conversion of municipalities into cities without strictly complying with the requirements of Republic Act 9009, the LCP said.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday joined those protesting against the conversion of more cities but stressed that the budget for the new government center will not be affected by the reduction in its Internal Revenue Allotment share.

Echoing the sentiments of the rest of the 117 other members of the League of Cities of the Philippines who are protesting the conversion of 16 municipalities into cities, Leonardia, Baguio Mayor Peter Ray Bautista and Santiago Mayor Amy Navarro wore black shirts during the flag raising rites at the Bacolod City Hall yesterday as they led other city officials in lowering the flag to half mast.

They were joined by other city employees and barangay leaders who also wore black arm bands.

Many employees of Regional and Municipal Trial Courts in Bacolod , Bago and other parts of Negros Occidental wore black yesterday to protest what they called the unfair distribution of benefits in the court system.

National officials of the Philippine Association of Court Employees had called on employees of first and second level courts to wear black every Monday.

The protestors said they are receiving far less benefits than their counterparts in the Supreme Court.