General Trias cityhood plebiscite set for December 12

MANILA, Philippines – The plebiscite for the cityhood of General Trias in Cavite will take place on December 12, a Saturday.

A press release from the municipal government of General Trias on Monday, October 5, said the date was set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in a September 19 memorandum.

More than 50,000 voters are eligible to participate in the plebiscite. As of the 2013 barangay elections, there were 56,440 registered voters in General Trias.

The memorandum also allocated a budget of P13.67 million for the said plebiscite, which follows the signing on August 19 of Republic Act 10675 – the law which converts the municipality of General Trias in Cavite into a component city.

The conversion of General Trias to a city was approved, as it has met the requirements set by the Local Government Code:

• A locally generated income of at least P100 million 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) or a contiguous territory of 100 square kilometers (as certified by the Land Management Bureau)

General Trias is only 81.46 square kilometers, but it has a population of 243,322 as of the 2010 Census.

The Commission on Audit (COA) has reported that the municipality generated a total income of P759 million “from local taxes, permits and licenses, service and business income and internal revenue allotments” in 2013.

Once the cityhood of General Trias is approved, its number of councilors will be increased from 8 to 10, and it will receive a bigger share of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) compared to other municipalities.

In the press release, General Trias Mayor Antonio Ferrer welcomed the cityhood, saying that it “will mean a bigger budget and more services to residents.”

General Trias will be Cavite’s 7th city, and the country’s 145th city once the plebiscite results favor the cityhood.

However, it will remain under the jurisdiction of the 6th legistrative district, currently represented by Congressman Luis “Jonjon” Ferrer IV, the author of the cityhood of this locality. – Rappler.com