OFFICIALS OF TAYTAY TOWN IN RIZAL province said they have started drafting their own city charter in preparation for their bid for cityhood this year.

Taytay Mayor Joric Gacula said the local government was “serious” in its campaign to become the second component city in the province after Antipolo City, and has started “spadework toward the conversion of the now first-class municipality into a city.”

“Taytay is far more qualified in terms of population, area and income aspects. We don’t see any reason for Congress to disapprove it,” Gacula said in a statement.

He added that a technical working group has been formed to create the technical and legal framework of their bid.

Part of the working group’s responsibilities, he said, was to see to it that no tax increase would be imposed for five years from the date of its conversion into a city.

Gacula said the local government was completing requirements mandated by the Local Government Code on the standards on population and revenue collections. Taytay’s target revenue this year has been placed at P400 million.

Under the law, to qualify to become a city, towns must have an annual self-generated income of P100 million and a population of 150,000 or more, or a contiguous territory of 100-sq km.

Rizal Gov. Casimiro Ynares III earlier indicated his support for the cityhood bids of Taytay and another town, Cainta.

MANILA, Jan. 13 — The local government of Taytay, Rizal has set its sight on transforming the now bustling and first-class municipality as the second component city in the province.

Mayor Joric Gacula said they have started drafting a component city charter for the next Congress to deliberate and hopefully approve.

Gacula said that Taytay, an erstwhile backward town, is serious on its bid to become Rizal province’s second city after that of Antipolo.

The local chief executive said that a technical working group has long been doing the spadework on the technical and legal framework of their cityhood bid.

Part of the working group’s task is to see to it that no tax increase would be imposed within five years from the date of Taytay’s transformation into a city.

Gacula disclosed that the Taytay municipal government is now completing requirements mandated by the Local Government Code on the standards on population and revenue collections.

Taytay’s target revenue this year is estimated at P400 million

Like the other towns that have been converted into cities, Taytay stands to get a bigger share in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government once it becomes a city.

Gacula also expressed optimism that their bid would not face rough sailing amid a Supreme Court decision issued last month declaring as constitutional the 16 cityhood laws earlier passed by Congress.

“Taytay is far more qualified in terms of population, area and income aspects. We don’t see any reason for Congress to disapprove it,” Gacula noted.

He likewise cited an earlier statement issued by Rizal Governor Casimiro Ynares III supporting their cityhood bid.

Once approved, the new component city also gets to have its own representative in Congress, translating to additional funds to cover the cost of national infrastructure projects, which include major thoroughfares and other vital installations. (PNA)

scs/HCT