CONVERSION OF THE CITY OF CABANATUAN 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 (P 50,000,000.00) based on 1991 constant prices, as certified by
the City Treasurer, shall be classified as highly-urbanized cities;

WHEREAS, Section 453 of the LCG of 1991 also provides that it
shall be the duly of the President of the Philippines 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 therefore;

WHEREAS, under the
Rules and Regulations Implementing the Local Government Code of 1991,
the procedure for converting a city into a highly-urbanized city is as
follows:

1. Resolution – The
interested city shall submit to the Office of the President of the
Philippines 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 a
certification as to income and population.

2.
Declaration of Conversion. – Within thirty (30) days from receipt of
such resolution, the President of the Philippines shall, after verifying
that the income and population requirements have been met, declare the
city as highly-urbanized.

3. Plebiscite – Within
one hundred twenty (120) days from the declaration of the President of
the Philippines 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
Panglungsod of the City of Cabanatuan in Resolution No. 183-2011 dated
11 July 2011, 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; and

WHEREAS, it is a declared policy of the government
to support local governments’ initiative to attain their fullest
development as self-reliant communities and make them effective partners
in the attainment of national goals.

NOW,
THEREFORE, I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, 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 only upon ratification in a plebiscite by
the qualified voters therein, as provided for in Section 453 of the
Local Government Code of 1991.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I
have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the
Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of
Manila, this 4th day of July, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and
Twelve.

 

(SGD.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III

President of the Philippines

By Authority of the President:

(SGD.) PAQUITO N. OCHOA, JR.

Executive Secretary