Press Release
May 23, 2012

Mabalacat is Finally a City

Last February 7, the Senate approved on third and final reading House Bill 4736, otherwise known as an Act Converting the Municipality of Mabalacat in the Province of Pampanga into a Component City to be known as Mabalacat City, which is sponsored by Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government.

President Aquino signed the said bill into law on May 18, thus making it Republic Act 10164. The President has approved Mabalacat cityhood bill one month after his approval of the cityhood bills of the municipalities of Imus and Bacoorthat turned two of Cavite's most progressive towns into cities through the endeavors of Senator Marcos.

Marcos said that Mabalacat has met all the requirements set under the Local Government Code of 1991, as amended by RA 9009. "The 2010 National Statistics Office survey showed that Mabalacat has a population of 215,610, which is far higher than the population requirement for a city. Also, Bureau of Local Government and Finance certified that the income of the Province of Pampanga for calendar years 2008 and 2009, based on 1991 constant prices, after deducting its share of income from Mabalacat, was P340,424,886.78. Also, the conversion of Mabalacat into a component city will not reduce the income of the Province of Pampanga to less than the minimum annual income requirement of P20 million under the Local Government Code," Marcos said.

As a final step towards the cityhood bid of the 300-year old town, a plebiscite is set next month by the local government.

Marcos also noted that Mabalacat deserves to be a city. "Mabalacat has risen to become one of the most progressive municipalities in Pampanga. It is known as the industrial capital of Pampanga with the upsurge of different enterprises and services doing business in its locality," said Senator Marcos

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