Mabalacat now officially Pampanga’s 3rd city

MANILA, Philippines – The town of Mabalacat is now the 3rd city in Pampanga province, after Angeles and San Fernando.

Mabalacat was officially converted into a component city after a plebiscite held on Saturday, July 21, favored for its cityhood. Out of the 19,542 residents who voted in the plebiscite, 72% or 14,078 residents voted for the cityhood of Mabalacat, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Those who participated in the plebiscite, however, constituted only about 20% of Mabalacat’s 83,564 total registered voters. The continuous rains in Luzon was seen as a factor for the low turnout.

The 61.47 sq.km. Mabalacat area used to be a barrio in the province of Tarlac before it was established as a municipality of Pampanga in 1971.

President Benigno Aquino signed in June Republic Act 10164, which declared Mabalacat as a component city after meeting all the requirements prescribed under the Local Government Code of 1991.

Mabalacat’s income has reached P144 million, which is way above the P100 million basic income requirement of a city. Also, the town has 203,000 residents, double of the basic 100,000 required population for a component city.

Local officials said that Mabalacat is currently receiving P180 million from the internal revenue allotment (IRA), and they are expecting an additional P300 to P400 million allocation after the cityhood.

Mabalacat is expected to become a full-fledged city next year, the same year it will be celebrating its 300th founding anniversary. – Rappler.com