TANDAG LOSE CITYHOOD STATUS

[steel bridge]

Six new cities in Mindanao will have to revert to being municipalities after the Supreme Court voted 7-5 to void their cityhood status for failing to comply with the requirements of the law.
These are Tandag, Surigao del Sur; Bayugan, Agusan del Sur; Mati, Davao Oriental; Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte, Lamitan, Basilan; and El Salvador, Misamis Oriental.
This brings the number of cities in Mindanao back to 27 from 33. Mindanao now has 27 provinces and 27 cities.
The 27th province, Shariff Kabunsuan, carved out of Maguindanao in late 2006, had earlier filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court after the latter ruled that only Congress can create provinces and other local government units. Shariff Kabunsuan was created by virtue of a law passed by the Regional Legislative Assemlby of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Ten other cities in the Visayas and Luzon also lost their cityhood. These are Baybay, Leyte; Bogo, Carcar and Naga in Cebu; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Catbalogan, Samar; Tayabas, Quezon; Tabuk, Kalinga; Batac, Ilocos Norte; Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.
In a press statement, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. today said the SC decision would bring back “order and sanity to the practice of elevating local government units to higher levels.”
“The Supreme Court ruling invalidating their conversion from municipalities into cities is good for the rule of law,” he said.
“We legislators should carefully adhere to the requirements of the law,” he said.
The high court said the laws which created these cities could not claim to be exempted from Republic Act 9009, which took effect in June, 2001, amending section 450 of the Local Government Code to increase the annual income requirement for a municipality to become a city from P20 million to P100 million.
Pimentel, principal author of the Code, said the municipalities misinterpreted the statutory requirement on income when they added their share of the Internal Revenue Allotment in the computation of their annual income to qualify for cityhood.
He clarified that the minimum income required to qualify for cityhood “should be determined on the basis of locally generated funds, that is without adding on it the incoming funds allocated by the Code as internal revenue share.”
“As a result of that erroneous interpretation, bill creating cities literally flew, like a plague of locusts in the Old Testament, into the calendar if the Senate from the House of Representatives,” he said.
The senator said municipalities aspire to become cities to enable them to get a bigger share of the IRA. But he said this would reduce the total amount of IRA that is divided among the existing cities.
“The number of cities had dramatically risen to more than 140 last year. Before the enactment of the Local Government Code in 1991, there were only 50 cities,” he said.
(MindaNews Wednesday, 19 November 2008 18:49)

[kampanaryo_spy]

steel bridge,

definitely this is a setback for tandag. but just like any setback, this could be temporary. in fact, something positive may come out of this. for one, this could be the most opportune time for tandag to rethink its development thrust, that is, if it really wants to make another shot at citihood by meeting the minimum income requirement of 100M. the way to go is via investment promotion with tourism development as centerpiece.

for starters, tandag should make the airport and wharf operational; bring down the cost of doing business, including labor; and complete an all-weather road network. but for this to happen, it's important to craft a development plan that's honest and workable, and to have a pool of local officials who stick to the plan no matter what.

for tandag to think out of the box, it must hire consultants. makes me wonder if it's good wisdom to revive tago's "siti."

[liezel]

K_spy,

I seconded the motion! hehehe... votation!It is indeed a shameful to all of us... tandaganun to reach at that stage... that even the roads and all other ways of transportation beyond the reality to be considered and declared as one the City!What about the income??? Peace everyone.... Hope they have to look on and evaluate the real situation... and look for a better solution...

[cordapya]

Ok da Better to be a first class municipality than a half-bake city.

[BONSAL]

I agree with Kspy. Tandag Sais (No longer Siti ) should instead focus more on enhancing its infrastructure to entice investments rather than manipulating the law to claim a "City Status" that they don't yet deserve. I think even Tandaganons will never succumb to a scenario wherein Tandag would only be a City in form but not in substance.

Peace to Tandaganons!

[steel bridge]

amo da gayud nan bata na igo da patilawa pag paduwa nan bola tapos pagabawi dayun nan isa ka bata. pero ga groupo na ang league of 16 (na mga binawian nan duwaan), nag file sila nan motion for reconsideration sa supreme court. kun dili nila ma conbenser ang korte suprema balik na gayud pagka municipio status ang Tandag. an ako openion kun mahitabo yaon, pra gayud ma city ang tandag mag joint dakan pag himo nan resolution ang tandag ug tago para mag merged an duha ka municipio na mahimo na city, kinahanglan na mag sakrepisyo gayud ang probinsya nan surigao del sur ug ang lungsud sa tago para moangat ang economiya nan ato probinsya. sa ako panlantaw mas dako siguro ang makuha na IRA kun ma merged city ang tandag-tago kumpara sa IRA nan municipio da ang tandag ug tago. tan-awa niyo ang Garden City of Samal sa Davao del Norte uno ka dako ang improvement nila kuman kumpara sa una na municipio pa sila, pra sa wara masayud tulo (3) ini sila ka municipio (Babak, Pena plata ug Kaputian) na ga merged pra lang ma himo na Garden City of Samal, ga sakrepisyo ang mga local na polotiko sa lungsud para sa kalamboan sa tanan katawhan sa ila isla. amo na dapat mag sakrepisyo sab ang ato mga local na politiko para sa katawhan nan surigao del sur.

[grabehirs]

TAGO IS TAGO. AND WE TAGON-ONS ARE VERY MUCH SATISFIED WHATEVER GEOGRAPHICAL STATUS HE HAS. IF TANDAG HAS AN AMIBITION TO BECOME A CITY PLEASE DON'T DRAG TAGO AS A MECHANISM TO BECOME A CITY. TANDAG SHOULD WORK ON & COMPLY WITH THE LAW TO ACHIEVE ITS CITY STATUS. I ADMIRE THE SUPREME COURT FOR ITS RULING, AS THE JUSTICES STATED THAT THERE IS NO SHORTCUTS TO CITYHOOD. ONE SHOULD COMPLY IN EVERY PRE-REQUISITES THE LAW PROVIDES.

[kampanaryo_spy]

an ako openion kun mahitabo yaon, pra gayud ma city ang tandag mag joint dakan pag himo nan resolution ang tandag ug tago para mag merged an duha ka municipio na mahimo na city.

steel bridge,

while it's a good suggestion, it's something that doesn't work in the present scheme of things.

Presently, Tandag has an annual income of 27M; Tago has about 10M. Still, that's 63M short of the minimum income requirement of 100M.

Because this 100M-hurdle doesn't include the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), LGUs are limited to their income from local sources like taxes levied on real estate and fees collected for business permits and licenses, and the use of facilities like terminals, slaughterhouses, and gyms. as has been shown, this requirement is quite difficult to comply for city wannabes like Tandag.

if Tago plays its cards right, we might beat Tandag in the race to citihood. at present we have two investors already: one is DOLE-Philippines which is bent on making a go at banana plantation, and the other is a veneer plant owned by a Hinatuan-based Tagon-on, who is Jacque Guda's first cousin from the Montero side. If this happens, this makes Tago the only town in the Philippines---and yes, the world--- to have two "sitis" within its turf, if you get my drift.

[Insomada]

Melancholy assailed me upon knowing Tandag’s citification has been overturned.

Tandag’s citification will be a big blow to Tago and I am for it. However, if it’s yet too premature for Tandag, it’s best to wait til the right time comes.

Once Tandag becomes a city Tago’s economic condition will improve as well as small and big scale industries will be generated to supply the increasing demand of Tandag’s populace.

What I am most enthusiastic about is this Dole-Philippines and veneer plantations mentioned by K-Spy.




Kamps,

Where would then be the sites of Dole and veneer plantations? Is veneer a kind of plant for making plywoods?

[cordapya]

K-Spy... questions ya-on property/land between Tago (accross the Bungtod) &^ Lapaz,..that belong to Tago or Lapaz. Ya-on bagan property ni Iyo Taboy Falcon. Right after the unfinished (Sabang) bridge.

[kampanaryo_spy]

K-Spy

ya-on property/land between Tago (accross the Bungtod) & Lapaz,..that belong to Tago or Lapaz. Ya-on bagan property ni Iyo Taboy Falcon. Right after the unfinished (Sabang) bridge.

cordaps,

it's called Talisay and it's part of Tago. a huge part of Talisay is owned by Iya Biyay by virtue of her marriage to Iyo Taboy Falcon.

as i said here before, it's a good site for an excellent resort.

[kampanaryo_spy]

Kamps,

Where would then be the sites of Dole and veneer plantations? Is veneer a kind of plant for making plywoods?

insoms,

ag sa lang kita magkapunga-punga pag tilang nan Dictionary kay di sa matugkad inin Iningles mo nan kalawum.

i will post the answer to your first question in TAGO UPDATES as soon as i have the hard facts and some pictures of the plantation and the nursery.

as to your second question, i'll turn to Wikipedia, thus:

"In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm (1/8 inch), that are typically glued onto core panels (typically, wood, particle board or medium density fiberboard) to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. Plywood consists of three or more layers of veneer, each glued with its grain at right angles to adjacent layers for strength."

Both PICOP in Bislig and SUDECOR in Carmen used to produce veneer.

[Alibangbang]

Salamat sa mga balita.

Steel,
I admire your broad, positive outlook.

[cocopuff]

I agree on everyone's perspective on this "cityhood". I think its best that they (Tandag, local officials) concentrate on what needs improving to achieve the desired "city" status. They need government & local officials to cooperate,communicate,inspire and stick to making Tandag an accessible better place for business, pleasure, and adventure destination competing with more accessible neighboring towns & cities.

[kampanaryo_spy]

it's final: tandag is back to its municipal status!

Hon. Andrei Andesan sent me a text message few sleeps ago that the Supreme Court had denied Tandag's motion for reconsideration.