[ Manila Bulletin Online ] October 28, 2008
By RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT
TACLOBAN CITY — Rep. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (2nd district, Ilocos Norte) is endorsing a plan to convert Tacloban City into a highly urbanized city (HUC).
He urged the residents Tacloban to vote for the reclassification of the city from a component city of the Province of Leyte into HUC.
Marcos said in a press conference at the airport here during his arrival last Oct. 26 that the people of Tacloban City should take the opportunity having their city converted into an HUC because this would result in more development activities and investments.
Congressman Marcos was in the city upon the invitation of the Lions Club. He was the inducting officer of the newly elected club officers and the guest speaker at the affair held in the evening of last Sunday.
Marcos said that the city, which has been a component city of the province of Leyte for 55 years now, is qualified to become an HUC as provided for by law. He cited the two main qualifications to become an HUC -- population of 200,000 and annual income of at least R100 million.
Tacloban City has a population of at least 217,000 as per the latest census conducted and an income of over R500 million.
President Arroyo signed last Oct. 4 Presidential Proclamation 1637 proclaiming Tacloban City as HUC.
However, this will only take effect upon ratification by the city’s voters in a plebiscite to be held in 120 days..
Gregorio Larrazabal, director of the regional office No. 8 of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) which is based in this city, said that the tentative schedule for the holding of the plebiscite is Dec. 6, 2008.
"It’s not necessary that all or majority of the city’s registered voters will vote during the plebiscite. What is important is that there were more "yes" votes than the "no" votes," Larrazabal said.
Tacloban Alfred Mayor Romualdez is pushing for the conversion of Tacloban City into the 33rd HUC of the country for the reason that its HUC status would help attract more investors to the city.
"I don’t see any problem here. It’s just informing the people what is HUC all about. We are still starting our information drive. I’m happy that many are well informed and some groups have already spoken up," Romualdez told reporters.
