Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday said he supports the 13 city mayors of Negros Occidental 101 percent in their opposition to the recent act of the Supreme Court granting cityhood to 16 “unqualified” municipalities.

The Negros city mayors are joining their counterparts from around the country in a “flip-flop outrage” to be staged in front of the Supreme Court on March 9.

The governor said the 13 Negros Occidental cities stand to lose about P700 million from their Internal Revenue Allotment shares, and not just P600 million that was the estimate three years ago.

That is because, with 16 new cities, the IRA share for the country’s cities will have to be divided more ways, he explained.

The governor noted that the February 15 ruling of the SC granting the conversion of the 16 towns into cities was the fourth time the SC flip-flopped on its ruling on the matter, after earlier ruling with finality.

He also noted that the 16 towns granted cityhood did not meet the requirements for conversion.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, executive vice president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, on Tuesday said it is their moral and legal obligation to support the protest because the SC ruling is a blow to the country’s judicial system.

“We hope the SC acts on our motion for reconsideration opposing its grant of cityhood to the 16 municipalities,” he said.

Leonardia also pointed out that the members of the Senate and the Lower House approved the cityhood of the 16 municipalities towards an election, making their decisions highly politicized.

Their conversion was approved despite their failure to meet all the requirements for cityhood, which are an annual income of P100 million, a population of 150,000 and a land area of about 10,000 hectares, he said.

The 16 municipalities granted cityhood were Mati, Davao Oriental; Naga, Cebu; Bogo, Cebu; Carcar, Cebu; Baybay, Leyte; Catbalogan, Samar; Tandag, Surigao del Sur; Lamitan, Basilan; Borongan, Samar; Tayabas, Quezon; Tabuk, Kalinga; Bayugan, Agusan del Sur; Batac, Ilocos Norte; Guihulngan, Negros Oriental; Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte; and El Salvador, Misamis Oriental.*CPG

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