Reaching the Qualifications for Cityhood

Are Apalitenos ready for the cityhood of Apalit? Before we answer this
question why dont we first review the potentials hold by this
southern Pampanga municipality for cityhood as of 2013.

What is a city? A city (lungsod, or sometimes siyudad in Filipino or
Tagalog) is a tier of local government in the Philippines.

Unlike municipalities, cities are entitled to one congressional
district and representative per 250,000 population count, and are
legally provided their own police force and allowed to use a common
seal. As corporate entities, cities have the power to take, purchase,
receive, hold, lease, convey, and dispose of real and personal
property for its general interests, condemn private property for
public use (eminent domain), contract and be contracted with, sue and
exercise all the powers conferred to it by Congress.

If Apalit becomes a city at present time, 2013, it can be classified
as a FIFTH CLASS COMPONENT CITY. According to The Local Government
Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160), component cities are cities
which do not meet the requirements to become highly urbanized,
independent or independent component cities, hence they are deemed
part of the province in which they
are geographically located. Fifth class cities have a two to three
consecutive year income of PHP 80 million or more but less than PHP
160 million.

CREATION OF CITIES

The congress is the lone legislative entity that can incorporate
cities. Provincial and municipal councils can pass resolutions
indicating a desire to have a certain area (usually an
already-existing municipality or a cluster of barangays) declared a
city after the requirements for becoming a city are met. As per
Republic Act No. 9009, these requirements include:

* locally generated income of at least PHP 100 million (based on
constant price in the year 2000) for the last two consecutive years,
as certified by the Department of Finance, * a population of 150,000
or more, as certified by the National Statistics Office (NSO);* OR a
contiguous territory of 100 square kilometers, as certified by the
Land Management Bureau, with contiguity not being a requisite for
areas that are on two or more islands.

The Apalit is still one of the best candidates for cityhood in the
Philippines although it's profile doesn't yet meet the given standards
of Republic Act No. 9009 to become a city. But it is POSSIBLE if the
Apaliteños work harder hand-in-hand for the development of their place
and making the lives of their people even more better.

Let's see on the next 5 years though...