Cities of the Philippines

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A city (Tagalog: "lungsod or siyudad"; Kapampangan: "lakanbalen"; Cebuano: dakbayan; Hiligaynon: dakbanwa) is one of the local governments in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific municipal charters in addition to the Local Government Code of 1991, which specifies their administrative structure and powers. As of December 12, 2015, there are 145 cities.[1]

Cities are entitled to at least one representative in the Philippine House of Representatives if its population reaches 250,000. They are allowed to use a common seal. As corporate entities, cities have the power to take, purchase, receive, hold, lease, convey, and dispose of real and personal property for its general interests, condemn private property for public use (eminent domain), contract and be contracted with, sue and exercise all the powers conferred to it by Congress. Only an Act of Congress can create or amend a city charter, and with this city charter Congress confers on a city certain powers that regular municipalities or even other cities may not have.

Despite the differences in the powers accorded to each city, all cities regardless of status are given a bigger share of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) compared to regular municipalities, as well as being generally more autonomous than regular municipalities.

Government

A city's local government is headed by a mayor elected by popular vote. The vice-mayor serves as the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council), which serves as the city's legislative body. Upon receiving their charters, cities also receive a full complement of executive departments to better serve their constituents. Some departments are established on a case-by-case basis, depending on the needs of the city.

Offices and officials common to all cities

Office Head Mandatory / Optional
City Government Mayor Mandatory
Sangguniang Panlungsod Vice-mayor as presiding officer Mandatory
Office of the Secretary to the Sanggunian Secretary to the Sanggunian Mandatory
Treasury Office Treasurer Mandatory
Assessor's Office Assessor Mandatory
Accounting and Internal Audit Services Accountant Mandatory
Budget Office Budget Officer Mandatory
Planning and Development Office Planning and Development Coordinator Mandatory
Engineering Office Engineer Mandatory
Health Office Health Officer Mandatory
Office of Civil Registry Civil Registrar Mandatory
Office of the Administrator Administrator Mandatory
Office of Legal Services Legal Officer Mandatory
Office on Social Welfare and Development Services Social Welfare and Development Officer Mandatory
Office on General Services General Services Officer Mandatory
Office for Veterinary Services Veterinarian Mandatory
Office on Architectural Planning and Design Architect Optional
Office on Public Information Information Officer Optional
Office for the Development of Cooperatives Cooperative Officer Optional
Office on Population Development Population Officer Optional
Office on Environment and Natural Resources Environment and Natural Resources Office Optional
Office of Agricultural Services Agriculturist Optional

Source: Local Government Code of 1991.[2]

Subdivisions

Cities, like municipalities, are composed of barangays, which can range from urban neighborhoods (such as Brgy. 9 in Laoag), to rural communities (such as Brgy. Iwahig in Puerto Princesa). Barangays are sometimes grouped into officially-defined administrative (geographical) districts. Examples of such are the cities of Manila (16 districts), Davao (11 districts), Iloilo (7 districts), and Samal (3 districts: Babak, Kaputian and Peñaplata). Some cities such as Caloocan, Manila and Pasay even have an intermediate level between the district and barangay levels, called a zone. However, geographic districts and zones are not political units; there are no elected city government officials in these city-specific administrative levels. Rather they only serve to make city planning, statistics-gathering other administrative tasks easier and more convenient.

Classification

Legal classification

The Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160) classifies all cities into one of three categories:[3]

There are currently 33 highly urbanized cities in the Philippines, 16 of which are located in Metro Manila.
Majority of the remaining cities are considered component cities. The five exceptions are listed below.
There are five such cities: Cotabato, Dagupan, Naga, Ormoc and Santiago.

Income classification

Cities are classified according to average annual income based on the previous four calendar years. Effective July 28, 2008 the thresholds for the income classes for cities are:[4]

Class Average annual income
(₱ million)
First 400 or more
Second 320 or more but less than 400
Third 240 or more but less than 320
Fourth 160 or more but less than 240
Fifth 80 or more but less than 160
Sixth Below 80

Independent cities

There are 38 independent cities in the Philippines, all of which are classified as either highly urbanized or independent component cities. From a legal, administrative and fiscal standpoint, once a city is classified as such:

Before the enactment of Batas Pambansa Bilang 51 on December 22, 1979, all chartered cities were considered autonomous from the provinces from which they were created, although the eligibility of residents in chartered cities to vote for provincial officials was determined by their respective charters.[5] With the enactment of Batas Pambansa Blg. 51, all cities that were classified as belonging to the newly introduced highly urbanized city distinction lost their eligibility to participate in provincial elections regardless of what their charters indicated.[6] As a result, the cities of Angeles, Cebu and Iloilo – all previously able to vote for provincial officials according to their charters – became ineligible to vote for officials of the provincial governments of Pampanga, Cebu and Iloilo respectively.

Currently, the only independent cities that can still participate in the election of provincial officials (governor, vice governor, Sangguniang Panlalawigan members) are the following:

Registered voters of the cities of Cotabato, Ormoc, Santiago, as well as all other highly urbanized cities, including those to be converted or created in the future, are not eligible to participate in provincial elections.

In addition to the eligibility of some independent cities to vote in provincial elections, a few other situations become sources of confusion regarding the complete autonomy of independent cities from provinces:

A component city, while enjoying relative autonomy compared to a regular municipality on some matters, are still considered part of a province. However, there are still sources of confusion:

Creation of cities

Congress is the lone legislative entity that can incorporate cities. Provincial and municipal councils can pass resolutions indicating a desire to have a certain area (usually an already-existing municipality or a cluster of barangays) declared a city after the requirements for becoming a city are met. As per Republic Act No. 9009, these requirements include:[7]

Members of Congress (usually the involving representative of the congressional district to which the proposed city belongs) then draft the legislation that will convert or create the city. After the bill passes through both the House of Representatives and the Senate and becomes an Act of Congress, the President signs the Act into law. If the Act goes unsigned after 30 days it still becomes law despite the absence of the President's signature.

The creation of cities before 1983 was solely at the discretion of the national legislature; there were no requirements for achieving 'city' status other than an approved city charter. No income, population or land area requirements had to be met in order to incorporate cities before Batas Pambansa Bilang 337 (Local Government Code of 1983) became law. This is what made it possible for several current cities such as Tangub or Canlaon to be conferred such a status despite their small population and locally generated income, which do not meet current standards. The relatively low income standard between 1992 and 2001 (which was ₱ 20 million)[2] also allowed several municipalities, such as Sipalay and Muñoz, to become cities despite not being able to meet the current ₱ 100 million local income standard.

Before 1987 many cities were created without any plebiscites conducted for the residents to ratify the city charter, most notable of which were cities that were incorporated during the early American colonial period (Manila and Baguio), and during the Commonwealth Era (1935-1946) such as Cavite City, Dansalan (now Marawi), Iloilo City, Bacolod, San Pablo and Zamboanga City. Only since 1987 has it been mandated under the Constitution that any change to the legal status of any local government unit requires the ratification by the residents that would be affected by such changes. Therefore, all cities created after 1987 – after meeting the requirements for cityhood as laid out in the Local Government Code of 1991 and Republic Act No. 9009 of 2001 – only acquired their corporate status after the majority of their voting residents approved their respective charters.

Motivations for cityhood

Although some early cities were given charters because of their advantageous (Baguio, Tagaytay) or strategic (Angeles, Cotabato, Olongapo, Zamboanga) locations or in order to especially establish new government centers in otherwise sparsely populated areas (Palayan, Trece Martires, Quezon City), most Philippine cities were originally incorporated to provide a form of localized civil government to an area that is primarily urban, which, due to its compact nature and different demography and local economy, cannot be necessarily handled more efficiently by more rural-oriented provincial and municipal governments. However, not all cities are purely areas of dense urban settlement. To date there are still cities with huge expanses of rural or wilderness areas and considerable non-urban populations, such as Calbayog, Davao, Puerto Princesa, and Zamboanga as they were deliberately incorporated with increased future resource needs and urban expansion, as well as strategic considerations, in mind.

With the enactment of the 1991 Local Government Code, municipalities and cities have both become more empowered to deal with local issues. Regular municipalities now share many of the same powers and responsibilities as chartered cities, but its citizens and/or leaders may feel that it might be to their best interest to get a larger share of internal revenue allotment (IRA) and acquire additional powers by becoming a city, especially if the population has greatly increased and local economy has become more robust. On the other hand, due to the higher property taxes that would be imposed after cityhood, many citizens have become wary of their town's conversion into a city, even if the municipality had already achieved a high degree of urbanization and has an annual income that already exceeds that of many existing lower-income cities. This has been among the cases made against the cityhood bids of many high-income and populous municipalities surrounding Metro Manila, most notably Bacoor and Dasmariñas (which finally became cities in November 2009 and June 2012 respectively), which for many years have been more qualified to become cities than others.

In response to the rapid increase in the number of municipalities being converted into cities since the enactment of the Local Government Code in 1991, Senator Aquilino Pimentel authored what became Republic Act No. 9009 in June 2001 which sought to establish a more appropriate benchmark by which municipalities that wished to become cities were to be measured.[8] The income requirement was increased sharply from ₱ 20 million to ₱ 100 million in a bid to curb the spate of conversions into cities of municipalities that were perceived to have not become urbanized or economically developed enough to be able to properly function as a city.

Despite the passage of RA 9009, 16 municipalities not meeting the required locally generated income were converted into cities in 2007 by seeking exemption from the income requirement. This led to vocal opposition from the League of Cities of the Philippines against the cityhood of these municipalities, with the League arguing that by letting these municipalities become cities, Congress will set "a dangerous precedent" that would not prevent others from seeking the same "special treatment".[8] More importantly, the LCP argued that with the recent surge in the conversion of towns that did not meet the requirements set by RA 9009 for becoming cities, the allocation received by existing cities would only drastically decrease because more cities will have to share the amount allotted by the national government, which is equal to 23% of the IRA, which in turn is 40% of all the revenues collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.[9] The resulting legal battles resulted in the nullification of the city charters of the 16 municipalities by the Supreme Court in August 2010. (See #"League of 16" and legal battles)

Changing city status

Throughout the years there have been instances of changes to the city's status with regard to eligibility for provincial elections, as a result of the passage of laws, both of general effectivity and specific to a city.

Before 1979

Prior to 1979, all cities were just considered chartered cities, without any official category differentiating them aside from income levels. All cities were considered autonomous from their mother provinces — the only differences being whether or not each city's voters were allowed to participate in provincial elections. Regarding participation in provincial affairs, there were three types of city charters: 1) those which explicitly allowed their respective residents to elect provincial officials, 2) those which explicitly prohibited participation in provincial elections, 3) and those which are silent regarding voter participation in provincial elections. The 1951 Supreme Court decision on Teves, et al. v. Commission on Elections[5] finally resolved the ambiguity surrounding this last category of cities, by confirming that the residents of cities with such charters (such as Dumaguete and Davao City) are ineligible to participate in provincial elections.

Prior to 1979, there has only been two cases in which the eligibility of city residents in the election of provincial officials were altered. Both changes were undertaken through specific acts of Congress:

1979–1986

Batas Pambansa Bilang 51, approved on December 22, 1979, introduced two legal categories of cities: highly urbanized cities and component cities.[6] Batas Pambansa Bilang 337, approved on February 10, 1983, further refined the criteria for highly urbanized cities.[14]

1987–1991

The period between ratification of the new Constitution (February 1987) and the effectivity of the Local Government Code of 1991 (January 1992) was one of transition. During this time, both BP 51 and BP 337 were still in force.

1992–Present

The Local Government Code of 1991 came into effect on January 1, 1992, and has remained in force ever since, though some amendments have been made.[2] New requirements for creating cities and upgrading cities to highly urbanized status were instituted under this Act. The LGC of 1991 was also the first time the independent component city category was introduced. Previously, all non-highly urbanized cities were classified as component cities; beginning in 1992, component cities whose charters explicitly prohibited city residents to vote in provincial elections began to share many of the legal privileges and responsibilities accorded to highly urbanized cities.

Upgrading

Downgrading

League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP)

The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) is a non-profit organization and is not a government agency. It has a membership of 143 cities and was founded in 1988. The organization was formed to help coordinate efforts to improve governance and local autonomy and to tackle issues such as preserving the environment and improving public works.

List of cities

For more details on this topic, see List of cities in the Philippines.

As of December 12, 2015, there are 145 cities in the Philippines. General Trias in Cavite is the newest city, after its charter was ratified on December 12, 2015.[1]

Largest cities

Ten most populous cities in the Philippines
Rank City Population
(2010)[21]		 Image Description
1. Quezon City 2,761,720 Former capital of the country (1948–1976). Largest city in Metro Manila in population and land area. Hosts the House of Representatives of the Philippines at the Batasang Pambansa Complex and the metropolis' largest source of water, the La Mesa Reservoir.
2. Manila 1,652,171 Capital of the country (from 1571-1948 and 1976–present). Historically centered on the walled city of Intramuros, by the mouth of the Pasig River. Host to the seat of the chief executive, the Malacañang Palace. By far the most densely populated city in the country, as well as the whole world.
3. Caloocan 1,489,040
Historic city where Andrés Bonifacio and the Katipunan held many of its meetings in secrecy. Much of its territory was ceded to form Quezon City, resulting in the formation of two non-contiguous sections under the city's jurisdiction. The city mainly encompasses residential areas, with significant industrial and commercial sections.
4. Davao City 1,449,296
The largest city in Mindanao by population. Historically centered near where the Davao River exits into the Davao Gulf, the city also encompasses expanses of wilderness, including part of the Mount Apo Natural Park, making it the largest city in the Philippines by land area. Regional center of the Region XI, and core of the third-largest metropolitan area in the country, Metro Davao.
5. Cebu City 866,171 Popularly nicknamed "The Queen City of the South". Site of the first Spanish settlement in the country. Capital of the province of Cebu and regional center of Region VII. Most populous city in the Visayas and core of the country's second-largest metropolitan area, Metro Cebu.
6. Zamboanga City 807,129 Nicknamed "City of Flowers" and marketed by its city government as "Asia's Latin City" for its substantial Spanish-derived Creole-speaking population. Former capital of the Moro Province and of the undivided province of Zamboanga. Former regional center of Zamboanga Peninsula, but remains the largest city in western Mindanao.
7. Antipolo 677,741 Nicknamed "City in the Sky" for its location on the hills immediately east of Metro Manila. Well-known pilgrimage and tourist center, being host to a Marian shrine and the Hinulugang Taktak National Park. Most populous component city in the country, and comprises more than a quarter of the total population of the province of Rizal.
8. Pasig 669,773 a Hosts most of the Ortigas Center, one of Metro Manila's prime business districts. Located where Laguna de Bay empties into the Pasig River. Part of the province of Rizal until 1975, when it was incorporated into Metro Manila. Formerly hosted the capitol and other government buildings of that province.
9. Taguig 644,473 b Lying on the western shore of Laguna de Bay, the city encompasses significant industrial, commercial and residential areas, including the disputed area of Fort Bonifacio, a former American military base that has been in development as the country's new premier business district. Was part of Rizal Province until 1975, when it was incorporated into Metro Manila.
10. Cagayan de Oro 602,088 Nicknamed the "City of Golden Friendship" and formerly known as Cagayan de Misamis. Located at the mouth of the swift-flowing Cagayan de Oro River, which has become a tourist draw.[22] Regional center of Northern Mindanao and capital of the province of Misamis Oriental.

City facts

Defunct/dissolved cities

"League of 16" and legal battles

The Court held that the foregoing Cityhood Laws, all enacted after RA 9009's effectivity, "explicitly exempt respondent municipalities from the increased income requirement from ₱ 20 million to ₱ 100 million in sec. 450 of the Local Government Code (LGC), as amended by RA 9009. Such exemption clearly violates Section 10, Article X of the Constitution and is thus patently unconstitutional. To be valid, such exemption must be written in the Local Government Code and not in any other law, including the Cityhood Laws."[36][37][38]

Rejected cityhood

Note: This section only lists attempts that reached the stage where a Republic Act was enacted for the purpose of achieving cityhood.

Former names

Note: This section only lists name changes made upon or since cityhood.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "General Trias in Cavite now a city". Rappler. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160)
  3. ↑ Republic Act No. 7160 of 10 October 1991 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE
  4. ↑ "DEPARTMENT ORDER No. 23-08" (PDF). 29 July 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Teves, et al. v. Commission on Elections, Philippine Laws and Jurisprudence Databank.
  6. 1 2 3 Batas Pambansa Bilang 51, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  7. ↑ Republic Act No. 9009, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  8. 1 2 LCP Policy Blog
  9. ↑ League of Cities wants veto on cityhood of 12 towns
  10. ↑ Republic Act No. 526, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  11. ↑ Republic Act No. 1445, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  12. ↑ Commonwealth Act No. 58, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  13. ↑ Republic Act No. 3857, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  14. 1 2 Batas Pambansa Bilang 337, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  15. ↑ Republic Act No. 6726, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  16. ↑ Republic Act No. 6843, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  17. 1 2 Supreme Court - Jurisprudence - Miranda vs Aguirre
  18. ↑ "Antipolo City's urbanization put on hold temporarily". Manila Bulletin. 2011-04-06. Retrieved 2015-09-04.
  19. 1 2 Cuenco ready to work for it; del Mar wants to be sure
  20. ↑ Republic Act No. 8528, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  21. ↑ "Final Results - 2010 Census of Population". National Statistics Office of the Philippines..
  22. ↑ "Cagayan de Oro’s White Water Rafting". Philippine Postal Corporation. June 18, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  23. ↑ CY 2008 Final Internal Revenue Allotment for LGUs, Department of Budget and Management of the Philippines.
  24. ↑ Puerto Princesa Board
  25. ↑ CY 2008 Final Internal Revenue Allotment for LGUs, Department of Budget and Management of the Philippines.
  26. ↑ Henrylito D. Tacio, Davao: The world's largest city, Sun-Star Davao, January 14, 2006.
  27. ↑ Discussion on CAMANAVA control project continues
  28. ↑ Dagupan becomes a city
  29. ↑ Republic Act No. 306, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  30. ↑ History of Legazpi City
  31. ↑ Republic Act No. 288, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  32. ↑ Presidential Decree No. 356, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  33. ↑ Presidential Decree No. 824, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  34. ↑ Republic Act No. 4413
  35. ↑ ELIGIO T. LEYVA, ET AL. vs. COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS, ET AL.
  36. ↑ November 18, 2008 , G.R. No. 176951 / G.R. No. 177499 / G.R. No. 178056, November 18, 2008
  37. ↑ SC Voids 16 Cityhood Laws
  38. ↑ From city back to town: Officials to appeal reversal of status
  39. ↑ SC reverses self, upholds creation of 16 cities
  40. ↑ SC Reinstates 2008 Decision Voiding 16 Cityhood Laws
  41. ↑
  42. ↑ Republic Act No. 4586, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  43. ↑ Republic Act No. 5907, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  44. ↑ Republic Act No. 8474, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  45. ↑ Republic Act No. 10169
  46. ↑ Republic Act No. 8535, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  47. ↑ Republic Act No. 9021, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  48. ↑ Republic Act No. 9356, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  49. ↑ Bulacan Now Has 3 Cities, Newsflash.org, December 12, 2006.
  50. ↑ Republic Act No. 521, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  51. ↑ Republic Act No. 3134, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  52. ↑ Republic Act No. 1552, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  53. ↑ Republic Act No. 321, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  54. ↑ Republic Act No. 437, Chan-Robles Law Library.
  55. ↑ Republic Act No. 603, Chan-Robles Law Library.
^a Population figure for Pasig City excludes persons residing in areas disputed between this city and the municipality of Cainta, Rizal.
^b Population figure for Taguig excludes the 51,320 persons residing in Brgys. Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside, which are still administered by the City of Makati, but ruled in court to be part of Taguig in 2003.

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