Naga poised to set projects in motion

CEBU, Philippines -  Following the Supreme Court's recent ruling upholding its cityhood, Naga City is now set to continue with its major projects which have been stalled after the Department of Budget and Management reduced its internal revenue allotment (IRA).

But for the time being, Mayor Valdemar Chiong said they would wait for the High Tribunal to record its latest decision in its entry of judgment so that the DBM would release its city-value IRA.

In May of 2009, the DBM started slashing the 16 affected cities' IRA following the SC's November 18, 2008 decision declaring their Cityhood Laws unconstitutional.

Naga, which was converted into a city in 2007, was supposed to receive a monthly IRA of P18 million, but this was cut to more than 50 percent, from the P18 million per month the city started getting only about P7 million, which resulted to the stalling of Chiong's projects for the city.

Chiong was however able to finish in late 2009 the city's P90-million two-storey building that is now the city hall.

But other plans such as the expansion of its reclamation project where a public market was supposed to be built were temporarily held in abeyance.

The mayor said however that with last Tuesday's ruling, wherein the SC en banc voted 7-4 declaring the 16 Cityhood Laws constitutional, he is positive that the city would be able to get back the city-value IRA "soon."

First district Rep. Eduardo Gullas, author of the house bills that converted Naga and Carcar cities, for his part, believes that the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), the petitioner of the case, would file another appeal to the High Court asking it to revert its decision.

But he said the LCP this time should "respect the will of Congress and the sovereign mandate of the people who ratified the Cityhood Laws."  (FREEMAN)