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.

Allaying apprehensions about the government center budget, Leonardia said that as early as 2004, the Land Bank of the Philippines had assured them that the city can even borrow as much as P800 million based even on its 2001-2002 income. He said officials of the Development Bank of the Philippines , during a recent courtesy call, said they also estimated that the city has the capacity to borrow as much P1.2 billion and this will not upset its budget.

NO PROBLEM WITH GOV'T CENTER

“So there is no problem with our commitment with Hilmarc's Construction Corp. as far as the IRA cut is concerned,” Leonardia said.

Meanwhile, Leonardia said the creation of 16 new cities would mean a cut in the IRA of Bacolod this year by P41.8 million. He said that, for this year, the city stands to receive P499.1 million instead of P540.9 million.

Leonardia, who is national vice chairman of the LCP, said the Supreme Court denied their request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Budget and Management from releasing the IRA for these new cities.

He also said there is also a pending proposal in the House for the conversion of 28 additional municipalities into cities regardless of whether these have met the requirements or not.

For this year the DBM released P120.7 billion as IRA share for all LGU's, with P47.9 billion going to cities, Leonardia said. But because of the questionable conversion of the 16 municipalities into cities, the increase in the IRA of the legitimate cities has been reduced to P4 billion, he said, adding that this means the cities are getting a measly increase in IRA despite their growing needs.

“ SANTIAGO CITY WEEPING”

Santiago Mayor Amy Navarro, LCP regional representative of Region 2, said they are not against other municipalities becoming cities as long as they meet the requirements mandated by law.

She said her city, Santiago , which is IRA dependent like Puerto Princesa, will lose P82 million from its current IRA of P646 million with the conversion of 16 new cities.

“The City of Santiago is weeping right now,” she added.

“I am one with Mayors Bing and Ray and the 117 mayors all over the Philippines in the quest to make our voices heard. If we are united, nothing is impossible,” Navarro said. She hopes that with their unity, the lawmakers will change their minds and have pity on them, she said.

Navarro said they have filed for a moratorium of five years to put a stop to the indiscriminate conversion of cities and for the government to find additional sources of budget so the IRA of the existing cities will not be affected.

OBLIGATIONS OF CITIES

Bautista, LCP representative of the Cordillera Region, said “ Baguio is an IRA independent city but we cry for other cities like Bacolod , Davao and Santiago because they have projects that are dependent on the IRA.” He said Baguio had established sister-city relations with Bacolod in 1996, when Leonardia was first Mayor.

Bautista said they have obligations to implement like R.A. 9433 or the Juvenile Welfare Act where the Mayors are mandated to come up with juvenile centers to house all juvenile offenders, the Clean Air Act and the R.A. 9003 where they are mandated to come up with sanitary landfills.

If they can not accomplish these, they will be sued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, he said, adding that the sanitary landfill will cost a minimum of about P200 million.

LIVING STANDARD THREATENED

Bautista said the city is the center of employment and opportunities so people from municipalities go to the city. He said the reduction in the IRA is already a big blow to the cities since the standard of living of the people here will go down. This is not a very good signal for investment and commerce, he added.

They are not airing their anger at the President but they are asking her to do something about it, Bautista said. “It is Congress, the body which we are hoping to get attention from with this action,” he said.

CALL TO SOLONS

Bautista said “I hope the Congressmen and Senators think about it in terms of politics or numbers.” They have to consider that the cities have 16 million constituents, which, according to Navarro, is a force to reckon with, he said.

Perhaps they computed the 16 cities and considered how many votes they might get and maybe they will realize they are going against 120 cities with not less than over a million voters, Bautista said. If they were thinking of numbers in terms of popularity, he said, he hopes they will realize that the creation of the new cities is not the right answer and not the right thing to do.

Navarro said they should remember that “we can make or unmake a politician”.*CGS

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