16 Ecija towns upgraded

CABANATUAN CITY – Sixteen municipalities in Nueva Ecija, including the cash-rich Pantabangan town and the boom town of San Isidro, have been upgraded to the next higher classification by Bureau of Local Government Finance.

In a memorandum circular, BLGF executive director Ma. Presentacion Montesa said that aside from Pantabangan which was upgraded to first class town from second class, the others were the towns of Cabiao, Carranglan, Cuyapo, Gen. Tinio, San Antonio, San Leonardo and Sta. Rosa (2nd to 1st class); Aliaga, Bongabon, Jaen, and Rizal (3rd to 2nd), Gabaldon, Lupao and Zaragoza (4th to 3rd) and San Isidro which owned the sole distinction as the only Nueva Ecija municipality to jump two rungs higher from 4th to 2nd class.

Montesa said that the reclassification was made on the basis of their respective average annual income for calendar years 2004-2007 as certified by the Commission on Audit while the income bracket was prescribed by the Department of Finance.

A municipality is considered first class if it has an average annual income of P55 million or more. For other lesser class municipalities, the average annual income are: 2nd class (P45 million or more but less than P55 million); 3rd class (P35 million or more but less than P45 million); 4th (P25 million or more but less than P35 million); 5th (P15 million or more but less than P25 million) and 6th (below P15 million).     

Over the past four years, Pantabangan’s income is averaging P83.7 million, closely following Talavera town’s P97.93 million over the period. With the addition of eight other municipalities, Nueva Ecija now has 10 first-class towns, representing a third of the total 27 towns in the province. The other first-class towns are Talavera and Guimba.

The DOF is vested with authority to review the income ranges of local government units that serve as the basis for their income classification by virtue of EO 249 issued on July 25,1987 by then President Corazon Aquino.