Morales votes, cityhood sealed. Photo by Ric Gonzales
MABALACAT CITY – Mayor Edgardo “Ed” Pamintuan of nearby Angeles City welcomed the third city in Pampanga but urged its first city mayor to focus on infrastructure projects to “enhance the beauty of and mobility in” the 141st member of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).
“The people of Mabalacat deserve a city so that roads will be made and improved,” said Pamintuan in an SMS txt message shortly after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared the 300-year-old town a component city late Saturday night.
“I hope the mayor will now focus on concreting barangay roads and prioritize lighting of the main thoroughfares, roads and streets. It is super madilim (dark) in several parts of Mabalacat,” said Pamintuan, a friend and long-time political ally of Mabalacat City Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales.
“Mayor Boking should improve Mabalacat’s landscape, benefitting its people,” he added.
Asked for his comments, Morales said “of course we will improve our roads now because we will have enough funds.”
He said that at least P200 million will added to the P523 million annual budget of Mabalacat for 2012.
This, he added, will be largely used for the improvement of the delivery of basic social services, notably on education, health and infrastructure projects.
City of San Fernando Mayor and LCP President Oscar Rodriguez said “welcome to the LCP and this is an opportunity for Mabalacat to hasten programs needed to raise the quality of life of people there.”
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) late Saturday night finished the canvassing of votes for the plebiscite and declared the town a component city. At least 72 percent of the total turnout on July 21 had affirmed Republic Act 10164 signed by President Aquino last May.
At least 23 percent of the total number of registered voters or 19,447 braved the rains the whole day to cast their votes.
Yes votes numbered 14,058, while the No votes totalled 5,366.
Twenty three votes were voided.
Mabalacat official Dionisio Magbalot, who monitored the results from his office, said the Yes votes won by a wide margin in all their 27 villages.
Morales thanked Gov. Lilia Pineda for “her crucial all-out support” to their cityhood bid, urging residents in rally two days before the plebiscite to support the creation of the third city in the province.
The other cities are the urbanized Angeles, and San Fernando, a component city and capital of Pampanga.
Morales also expressed gratitude to Pampanga First District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin, author of the congressional cityhood bill and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos, chairman of the Senate committee on local government and Aquino.
In 2008, Morales established the first-ever public college in Pampanga. It has some 1,800 students this year.
Morales disclosed the Mabalacat City will shoulder the matriculation fee of students at the public college.
