El Salvador City in Misamis Oriental Reverted to Municipality
Gibalik sa pagka municipal ang El Salvador sa Misamis Oriental by the Supreme Court, apil usab ang 15 ka municipalities sa tibook Pilipinas.
In a decision written by Justice Antonio T. Carpio, declared unconstitutional by the SC were the following laws:
1. Republic Act (RA) No. 9389, entitled “An Act converting the municipality of Baybay in the province of Leyte into a component city to be known as the City of Baybay.”
2. RA 9390, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Bogo, Cebu province into a component city to be known as the City of Bogo.”
3. RA 9391, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Catbalogan in the province of Samar into a component city to be known as the City of Catbalogan.”
4. RA 9392, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Tanday in the province of Surigao del Sur into a component city to be known as the City of Tandag.”
5. RA 9394, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Borongan in the province of Eastern Samar into a component city to be known as the City of Borongan.”
6. RA 9398, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Tayabas in the province of Quezon into a component city to be known as the City of Tayabas.”
7. RA 9393, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Lamitan in the province of Basilan into a component city to be known as the City of Lamitan.”
8. RA 9404, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Tabuk into a component city of the province of Kalinga to be known as the City of Tabuk.”
9. RA 9405, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Bayugan in the province of Agusan del Sur into a component city to be known as the City of Bayugan.”
10. RA 9407, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Batac in the province of Ilocos Norte into a component city to be known as the City of Batac.”
11. RA 9408, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Mati in the province of Davao Oriental into a component city to be known as the City of Mati.”
12. RA 9409, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Guilhulngan in the province of Negros Oriental into a component city to be known as the City of Guilhulngan.”
13. RA 9434, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Cabadbaran into a component city of the province of Agusan del Norte to be known as the City of Cabadbaran.”
14. RA 9436, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Carcar in the province of Cebu into a component city to be known as the City of Carcar.”
15. RA 9435, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of El Salvador in the province of Misamis Oriental into a component city to be known as the City of El Salvador.”
16. RA 9491, entitled “an Act converting the municipality of Naga in the province of Cebu into a component city to be known as the City of Naga.”
Voting 7-5 with three abstentions, the SC said the 16 Cityhood Laws violate Section 10, Article X of the Constitution and the Charter’s equal protection clause.
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16 New Cities Reverted to Towns
By AMOR A. LOPEZ
The Supreme Court (SC) declared yesterday 16 cityhood laws that converted 16 municipalities to cities as unconstitutional for violation of the equal protection clause.
The decision reverts the status of the following cities back to municipalities – Baybay in Leyte, Bogo in Cebu, Catbalogan in Samar, Tandag in Surigao del Sur, Borongan in Samar, Tayabas in Quezon, 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.
The cityhood bills lapsed into law on various dates from March to July 2007 after the President failed to sign them.
The High Court, in an en banc decision penned by Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, said the cityhood laws violate Section 6, Article X of the Constitution because they prevent a fair and just distribution of the national taxes to local government units.
While the 12th Congress passed Republic Act 9009 which took effect on June 30, 2001 increasing the income requirement of municipalities from R20 million to R100 million for them to convert to cities, the 16 municipalities were exempted from such a requirement giving them a unique advantage over other municipalities.
