'All Novo Ecijanos should decide Cabanatuan cityhood'

CABANATUAN CITY, , Philippines  – Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali has urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to allow all qualified voters in their province to take part in a plebiscite to ratify the proclamation of this town as a highly urbanized city.

Umali submitted a five-page petition to Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr., saying all Novo Ecijanos will be affected once Cabanatuan becomes a city.

Umali said that while the Local Government Code provides for the conduct of a plebiscite to ratify a bid for cityhood, it also mandates that no province, city, municipality or barangay may be created, divided, merged, abolished or its boundary substantially altered, except in accordance with certain criteria and subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly affected.

Umali said the income, population, land area and boundaries of the whole province would also be substantially altered and irreversibly reduced. He said the province would be at a disadvantage on account of the massive decrease in its share from the internal revenue allotment, which is based on land area and population.

He said this is not the first time the issue of who should vote in the plebiscite is raised before the Comelec, citing the petition filed by Rizal Gov. Casimiro Ynares III on Antipolo’s cityhood.  

The Comelec law department found basis in the contention of Ynares and said the conduct of the plebiscite must include all the qualified voters of Rizal.