Koronadal residents vote on cityhood

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Residents of Koronadal town in South Cotabato are trooping to polling precincts tomorrow to vote on proposed cityhood for the municipality, as embodied in Republic Act 8803 signed by President Estrada last Aug. 16. Evangeline Basan, Koronadal election officer, said some 58,124 residents are eligible to vote in 197 precincts scattered in the town’s 27 barangays. South Cotabato Gov. Hilario de Pedro III said cityhood for Koronadal will boost its bid to become the regional center. De Pedro disclosed that Executive Order 429, which mandates the realignment of former provinces under the old Cotabato into a new administrative region, will finally be implemented early next year. Under EO 429, signed by former President Corazon Aquino, Koronadal has been assigned as the seat of the new region. If approved by its residents, Koronadal will be the third city in the Socsksargen (South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) growth area; the two others are Tacurong and this city. — Allen Estabillo