Bill to make La Trinidad city filed in Congress; divides folks

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Lower House bill to make La Trinidad into a city is starting to divide constituents of this capital town and the province basing from social media posts.

Folks and some officials clamored for a public hearing on the matter before it is pushed in Congress.

This, after Benguet legislative caretaker Rep. Eric Go Yap filed House Bill No. 6367 seeking to convert the municipality of La Trinidad to a component city to be known as the City of La Trinidad.

Yap of Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Partylist filed House Bill Nos. 6366 and 6367 afternoon of Feb. 20.

HB No. 6366 seeks to automatically convert the capital town of provinces without a component city within its territorial jurisdiction, into a component city.

According to the legislative caretaker of the province, the people of Benguet still have the final word on the cityhood of La Trinidad.

“Syempre, nasa ating mga kababayan sa Benguet pa rin ang desisyon kung gusto talaga nila maging lungsod ang La Trinidad. Meron pa rin naman tayong plebesito. Ating isinumite lang ang dalawang panukalang ito para bigyan sila ng pagpipilian, bigyan sila ng boses,” Yap told a radio interview.

The solon said if pushed through, this conversion will venture on the full economic potential of the Municipality of La Trinidad– as it will pave the way for more development and added services to the growing population.

He said it will provide the means to properly address issues and concerns of the provincial capital.

“Ang nais lang natin ay magkaroon ng mas mataas na budget para sa La Trinidad, na matutupad lamang pag ito ay naconvert bilang Lungsod. Kapag mas maraming budget, mas maraming proyekto at programa pa ang ating maipapaabot, hindi lang para sa mga taga-La Trinidad, pati na rin sa mga karatig-bayan,” he said.

“Gusto natin makilala ang La Trinidad bilang La Trinidad City, at hindi lang bilang “katabi ng Baguio City.” We want a unique identity for La Trinidad, and for Benguet as a whole.”

The proposal for cityhood of La Trinidad was actually made last year.

Last December 2019, lawmakers of La Trinidad asked the aid of Benguet Rep. Nestor Fongwan Sr. before his death that month for filing of a bill for conversion of the municipality into a component city of the province.

The resolution was approved by the Municipal Council on Dec.3, 2019 during their regulation session.

It was introduced by Councilors Teddy Walang, Apolinario Bagano Jr., John Botiwey and Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan.

"Conversion of the municipality into a component city of the province will pave way for more development and added services to its growing population and to properly address issues and concerns commonly seen in rapidly developing urban communities," the resolution said.

Lawmakers said the Bureau of Local Government finance-Cordillera Administrative Region certified that the town has an annual income of P131,445,297.69 and P143,776,838.28 for 2013 and 2014.

The town's land area is 8,079.50 hectares and 129,133 population, based on August 2016 census where it is expected to balloon based on a consistent population growth rate of 3.8 percent.

As per Republic Act 9009, requirements for cityhood include locally generated income of at least P100 million (based on constant prices in the year 2000) for the last two consecutive years, as certified by the Department of Finance, and a population of at least 150,000, as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority; 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 town had been clamoring for cityhood through past resolutions requesting legislators to file a bill in Congress.

Copies of the resolution were transmitted to mayor's office and office of Benguet congressman for appropriate action.

Last week, Nestor Fongwan Jr., La Trinidad councilor and member of the provincial board said public hearings should be held first on the matter to get the people’s will.

Fongwan Jr. is the son of the late Rep. Fongwan Sr.