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Mayors in the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) will read a manifesto, wear black armbands and raise the flag at half-mast every Monday to protest the conversion of 16 municipalities into cities by the 13th Congress.
Mayor Arlene Espinosa-Zambo of Toledo City, secretary of LCP-Visayas, said yesterday that all mayors of the 120-member league will kick off the protest during the flag raising ceremony tomorrow.
?We echo our dismay at the railroaded process of converting these 16 cities without due consideration of what is required by law. We are appalled by the inconsiderate and hasty move of Congress for the conversion of the cities without thinking of the dire consequences it will bring to the existing cities and more importantly to our constituents.? LCP?s three-page manifesto reads.
According to LCP, the conversion of more municipalities into cities without the required income and population, will result in a reduced share for localities in the 2008 Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
Based on the Local Government Code, 40 percent of the national collection of taxes should be given to the LGUs through the IRA. The law also requires that 23 percent of the 40 percent should go to the 120 cities.
In 2008, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released at least P210.7 billion as IRA share for all LGUs with P47.9 billion going to the 120 cities without the new cities.
But with the new additions, the 2008 IRA was computed at 43.9 billion or about P4 billion less than P47.9 billion.
According to the LCP, without the 16 latest additions, their IRA increase would be around 16 percent to 17 percent. With the existence of new cities, the IRA share increase plunged to 3 percent.
?This deplorable effect of the reduced increase of IRA for cities is deeply felt by Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. Instead of receiving P146 million as IRA, it will only a receive P1.7 million increase. The same is felt by other cities in the country.? LCP said.
Zambo said Toledo City will only get P31 million less than expected or P276 million from an expected P307 million IRA share.
?Every municipality to be converted into a new city will mean a decrease of around P2 million for each existing city,? Zambo said.
Zambo said the LCP is pushing for a moratorium of the conversion of any municipality into a new city.
But LCP, in its manifesto, said that it is not against the conversion of the municipalties into cities as long as they meet the requirements mandated by law.
LCP painted a worst case scenario if a member city will not have sufficient funds because of the lesser IRA increase -- it will be forced to layoff its workers.
?The casual employees of the city hall could possibly carry the burden,? the LCP manifesto said.
On Monday, Zambo said she will also welcome employees who will wear black armbands.
LCP said the wearing of a black armband is a symbol of the group's dissent and mourning for the effects of this unjust action of the lawmakers.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena said he will hold a meeting with all the city mayors in Central Visayas.
However, in a mobile call made by Cebu Daily News (CDN) to Osmeña yesterday afternoon, he asked to be excused because he was in a hurry of catching up on an appointment.
Earlier, Mayor Benhur Abalos, Mandaluyong City mayor and LCP president, said that the group is questioning the legality of the transformation of these towns to cities before the Supreme Court, saying they failed to meet the P100 million income and population requirements.
Abalos noted that there were some congressmen who pushed for cityhood just to gain points from their constituents.
Bebet Gozun, another LCP official, said many of the new cities were converted just before the 2007 mid-term elections.
The group also asked the Budget department to withhold the release of the new cities' additional IRA pending the resolution of the case.
He said that the drop in cities? IRA would cripple the delivery of their basic services and the payment of their loans. It would also affect the salaries of their workers.
The LCP called on President Macapagal Arroyo to provide fresh funds to the existing cities to cushion the impact of reduced IRA.
Abalos also urged for a "2 to 5 years of moratorium" on conversion and a re-computation of the IRA share.
