13 municipalities set to join ranks of cities.

Official information from the National Statistical Cooordination Board (NSCB) revealed that 13 of the more than 20 municipalities which have applied for cityhood and approved by the 13th Congress have completed the ratification process in a plebiscite as of June 30, 2007.

The ascension of these 13 municipalities to cityhood will increase the number of cities to 131 from 118, and consequently, bring down the number of municipalities from 1,510 to 1,497. The 13 new cities include: two (2) from NCR - San Juan and Navotas; NCR; two (2) from Northern Luzon - Tabuk, Kalinga and Batac, Ilocos Norte; four (4) from the Visayas - Bogo, Cebu; Baybay, Leyte; Catbalogan, Western Samar; and Borongan, Eastern Samar; and five (5) from Mindanao - El Salvador, Misamis Oriental; Mati, Davao Oriental; Lamitan Basilan; Bayugan, Agusan del Sur; Tandag, Surigao del Sur.

The old cities have reason to be wary and apprehensive about the addition of the lucky 13 to their ranks as the latter will partake of the 23% IRA alloted to cities pursuant to Section 284 of the 1991 Local Government Code - making their projected IRA adjustment smaller. On the other hand, the remaining 1,497 municipalities stand to benefit from this conversion in terms of increased IRA share since the newly converted cities will leave behind their respective IRA shares to the ranks of the municipailties.

On the macro perspective, conversion of municipalities to cities can be viewed as mechanism of redistributing or reallocating and democratizing government resources so that more funds are chanelled for service delivery and infrastructure facilities to the countrysides. On the average, the IRA shares of these new cities comes fiscal year 2008, would amount to more than a hundred million pesos each.