It is not over yet.

The League of Cities of the Philippines will take up the issue of whether or not to admit the 16 newly created cities into the LCP at their meeting at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City today, their president, San Fernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez said last night.

Rodriguez, who leads the LCP members who are holding their National Executive Board Meeting in the city, was referring to the new cities converted without complying with the constitutional requirements.

“We have not yet officially accepted nor invited them to our meetings,” he said. But, he said, they have no problem with other cities that are qualified.

In this meeting, Rodriguez said, they will also discuss whether the 16 new cities will be invited to their general assembly, or whether they will pursue another motion for reconsideration before the Supreme Court, following the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The new cities had been disqualified, then allowed, later disqualified again, and allowed again in what have been referred to as the “flip-flopping” acts of the former justices in the Supreme Court.

He said they will ask their lawyers to study the possibility of filing a motion for reconsideration after they lost their latest case.

Rodriguez said that other items in their agenda today are issues involving the Internal Revenue Allotment, PhilHealth, and whether or not to push through with their general assembly in December.

He said the National Executive Board Meeting is being held every quarter in different places, and this year Mayor Evelio Leonardia, LCP National Executive Vice President, requested that it be held in Bacolod in time for the MassKara Festival.

Leonardia hosted dinner at the Bacolod City Government Center for the first batch of mayors to arrive yesterday.

Rodriguez told Leonardia that the government center is a beautiful legacy he is leaving to the people of Bacolod City.

“This city hall is majestic. It is one of the best I ever saw,” he said. “It is a combination of the Luneta and the White House in the US and the site development is very good,” he added.

Rodriguez said he also finds the people very friendly, the place is very conducive and very attractive to both local and foreign tourists, because it has very wide and clean streets.

In San Fernando, Pampanga, they have the Sinukwan Festival and Giant Lantern Festival held every last Saturday before Christmas, he said.

Meanwhile, LCP OIC executive director Jeremy Nishimori said that, among the many things that he cannot forget during his visits to Bacolod are the great food and the sweet smiles of Bacolod residents.

He also cited the developments in the city like its infrastructures and said that the Bacolod experiences will benefit the League’s members in terms of development and progress.

Vaughn de los Reyes, LCO executive director for administration and finances, said among the early arrivals yesterday were Mayors Joseph Penas of Digos, Melandres de Sagun of Trece Martires, Isidro Hemedes of Cabuyao, Philip Tan of Tangub City and Hernani Braganza of Alaminos City.

Negros Occidental Mayors Patrick Escalante of Cadiz City, Agustin Ernesto Bascon of Himamaylan, Juliet Marie Ferrer of La Carlota and Eric Saratan of Talisay City, among others, had lunch with their counterparts from other cities yesterday.*CGS

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