Malay town on cityhood bid

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

The cityhood of Malay town in Aklan is being pushed by local officials here. 

 

Jetty port in Caticlan, Malay, Aklan    PHOTO AKLAN FORUM

But first, the town of Malay will have to work and to meet the basic qualifications for cityhood as provided for in the Local Government Code.

In an interview, Sangguniang Bayan Jupiter Aelred Gallenero bared the grand plans, saying, ”an Adhoc committee will be created to gather the requirements for the proposed upgrade from first-class municipality to city.”

Malay, located in northern portion of Aklan province, has a population of 45,811 and 10,180 households as of 2010 National Census of Population and Housing and a land area of 66 square kilometers. The town was the second most populous municipality in Aklan with 8.6 percent share.

It has 17 barangays including the famous Boracay Island. The elected mayor is John P. Yap. 

Under the Local Government Code, the town must have 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, to convert the municipality into a city. 

Gallenero, who is the also main proponent of Malay cityhood, said, “kon huyapon ru population makaron it Malay basi pasok ron maw sa requirements. The town meets two of three requirements for cityhood.”

If ready for cityhood, the municipal council of Malay will pass a resolution asking Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco, Jr. to file a cityhood bill for approval of Congress.  

In November 2010, a resolution was also approved by Sangguniang Bayan creating an adhoc committee and technical working group to conduct initial study and evaluation for the proposed cityhood of Malay. 

Meanwhile, Senator Gregorio Honasan II has filed a bill last week proposing that a municipality be qualified for cityhood if it has a land area of at least 50 square kilometers instead of the 100 square kilometer requirement and inhabitants of at least 25,000 instead of the present requirement of 150,000 population.

It has also an annual average local income of at least P220 million for two consecutive years instead of the P100 million mark to become a city.