STO. TOMAS CITY – THE province of Batangas will have five cities soon.
This, after President Rodrigo Duterte, signed into law a measure converting the municipality of Calaca into a component city.
The chief executive signed Calaca’s cityhood through Republic Act No. 11544 on May 26 and is supposed to become a full-pledge city last August 26, 2021, through a plebiscite.
But the Comelec recently put the implementation on hold until after next year’s May 9 national and local elections.
Plebiscite
Yes, a plebiscite among Calaca residents is all that is left for the law to be effective.
Under the law, a plebiscite must be conducted in the first-class municipality within 90 days from the approval of the law.
Once the conversion is approved through the plebiscite, Calaca will become the fifth city in Batangas.
Currently, the province has four cities namely Sto. Tomas, Lipa, Tanauan and Batangas City. It also has 30 municipalities.
But despite the cityhood, it was specified in RA 11544 that Calaca will remain under the jurisdiction of Batangas’ first legislative district even after a plebiscite is over and done with.
Unfortunately, all of these have to wait for four months until after the May 9, 2022, national and local elections along with four other plebiscites scheduled this year.
The Comelec said reason being is to give candidates of concerned local government units to ably “prepare for the May 2022 polls.”
This means that Calaca residents need to wait until September next year, counting from four months after the May 9, 2022, national and local elections.
Aside from Calaca four other plebiscites scheduled this year were put on hold.
These include the plebiscite to ratify the creation of Barangay New Canaan into a regular and district barangay in the municipality of Alabel, Sarangani; the plebiscite to ratify the merging of Barangay District 1 and Barangay District 28 and the renaming of Barangay 29 in Ormoc City.
Also scheduled is the plebiscite to ratify the conversion of San Jose Del Monte into a highly urbanized city and the plebiscite to ratify the division of Maguindanao into two provinces.
The last plebiscite conducted by the Comelec was the Palawan plebiscite on March 13, which sought to divide the province into three separate provinces where the "No" votes won by 50,081 votes.
First-class municipality
Calaca is found on the western side of Batangas.
It is renowned for its Calacatchara Festival and is a first-class municipality that has become home to several large industrial plants like Phoenix Petroleum.
It has a total land area of 11,458 hectares and a 2020 population of 87,361.
Although slowly becoming industrial, the DILG said agriculture remains the town’s major source of income.
Calaca can be reached from Manila via the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road via Lipa, through Cuenca, Alitagtag, Santa Teresita, Taal and Lemery; or via Tagaytay through the Payapa Road. (Ismael Amigo/OpBats)