Proclamation No. 969




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES [ Proclamation No. 969, February 13, 1997 ] CONVERSION OF THE CITY OF CABANATUAN FROM A COMPONENT CITY INTO A HIGHLY-URBANIZED CITY WHEREAS, Section 452 of the Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991 provides that cities with a minimum population of two hundred thousand (200,000) inhabitants as certified by the National Statistics Office, and with the latest income of at least Fifty Million Pesos (P50,000,000.00) based on 1991 constant prices, as certified by the city treasurer, shall be classified as highly urbanized cities; WHEREAS, Section 453 of the LGC of 1991 also provides that it shall be the duty of the President to declare a city as highly-urbanized within thirty (30) days after it shall have met the minimum requirements prescribed in Section 452 of the same Code, upon proper application therefor; WHEREAS, under the Rules and Regulations Implementing the Local Government Code of 1991, the procedure for converting a city into a highly urbanized one is as follows: a. Resolution – The interested component city shall submit to the Office of the President a resolution of its Sanggunian adopted by a majority of all its members in a meeting duly called for the purpose, and approved and endorsed by the city mayor. Said resolution shall be accompanied by certifications as to income and population. b. Declaration of Conversion – Within thirty (30) days from receipt of such resolution, the President shall, after verifying that the income and population requirements have been met, declare the component city as highly-urbanized. c. Plebiscite – Within one hundred twenty (120) days from the declaration of the President or as specified in the declaration of the President or as specified in the declaration, the COMELEC shall conduct a plebiscite in the city proposed to be converted. Such plebiscite shall be preceded by a comprehensive information campaign to be conducted by the COMELEC with the assistance of national and local government officials, media, NGOs, and other interested parties. WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Cabanatuan, in Resolution No. 790-96, requested the President to declare the City of Cabanatuan as a highly-urbanized city; WHEREAS, the City of Cabanatuan has met the minimum requirements prescribed under Section 452 of the LGC of 1991 for a city to be classified as highly-urbanized; WHEREAS, it is a declared policy of this government to support local governments initiatives to attain their fullest development as self-reliant communities and make them more effective partners in the attainment of national goals; NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby proclaim the City of Cabanatuan as a highly-urbanized city, provided, however, that this proclamation shall take effect upon ratification in a plebiscite by the qualified voters therein, as provided for in Section 453 of the Local Government Code. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.1aшphi1 DONE in the City of Manila, this 13th day of February in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Seven. (Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS By the President: (Sgd.) RUBEN D. TORRES Executive Secretary The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation