Mabalacat cityhood plebiscite set

MABALACAT, Pampanga, Philippines – A plebiscite will be held here next month as the final step toward cityhood after President Aquino signed Republic Act 10164 declaring this 300-year-old town as Pampanga’s third city.

Mayor Marino Morales said he expects his constituents to ratify Mabalacat’s cityhood during the plebiscite, which the Commission on Elections could schedule after an information campaign on the issue.

Aquino signed last week the Mabalacat cityhood law transforming this first-class town into a component city. This town stands to be the province’s third city, after Angeles and San Fernando.

“The delivery of basic services to the people will be maximized once this first-class municipality becomes a component city. Other programs of the local government to further boost education, health, livelihood, employment, peace and order among other concerns will be realized faster once Mabalacat becomes a city,” Morales said.

The cityhood proposal was initially stalled over questions on land area required by law amid claims by officials of Bamban, Tarlac that Barangay Calumpang is within Bamban, not Mabalacat.  

The barangay, covering 1,486 hectares, was added in the cityhood proposal on top of the initial 8,390 land area of Mabalacat.

Morales said the issue was resolved by titles obtained from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority showing that the Calumpang area “falls under the territorial jurisdiction of Mabalacat.”