Merger of 2 Batangas barangays affirmed
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the merger of two barangays in Calaca, Batangas, thereby putting an end to a dispute that has dragged on for decades.
In a 28-page decision, the SC abolished Barangay San Rafael and upheld its merger with Barangay Dacanlao.
The high tribunal reversed a ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA) and declared as void Provincial Ordinance No. 2, which repealed an earlier ordinance abolishing the village of San Rafael.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed Ordinance No. 5 in 1997, abolishing San Rafael and merging it with Dacanlao. A year later, a plebiscite was held wherein a majority supported the merger.
Some residents, however, challenged the ordinance before a court, which confirmed the merger’s validity.
Petitioners again challenged the ruling of the lower court before the CA.
The SC declared that San Rafael was lawfully merged with Dacanlao, based on the results of a plebiscite conducted in 1998, according to a resolution dated April 7 and penned by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo.
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