Proclamation No. 1267

Section 452 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7160 or the "Local Government Code of 1991" provides that cities with a minimum population of two hundred thousand (200,000) inhabitants as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and with a latest annual income of at least Php50 Million based on 1991 constant prices, as certified by the City Treasurer, shall be classified as highby-urbanized cities; WHEREAS,

Section 453 of RA No. 7160 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations provide that it shall be the duty of the President to declare a city as highly-urbanized within thirty (30) days after it shall have met the minimum requirements prescribed by law, upon proper application therefor; and that the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) shall ,within 120 days from such declaration, conduct a plebiscite in the city proposed to be converted for ratification by the qualified voters thereon; WHEREAS, the plebiscite shall be preceded by a comprehensive information campaign to be conducted by the COMELEC with the assistance of national and local government officials, media, non-governmental organizations and other interested parties; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Naga, through Resolution No. 2026-078, requested the President to declare the City of Naga, in the Province of Camarines Sur, as a highly-urbanized city; WHEREAS, the City of Naga, Camarines Sur, an independent component city, has satisfied the minimum requirements prescribed by law for classification as a highly-urbanized city, having a population of 210,545 persons, as certified by the PSA, and an income of Php298.53 Million based on 1991 constant prices, as certified by the Department of Finance - Bureau of Local Government Finance; and WHEREAS, it is a declared policy of the government to support the initiatives of local governments to attain their fullest development as self-reliant communities, and to make them effective partners in the attainment of national goals; NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR., President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby proclaim the City of Naga as a highly-urbanized city, provided that this Proclamation shall take effect only upon the ratification in a plebiscite by the qualified voters therein, as provided for in Section 453 of RA No. 7160. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the President to be affixed. DONE, in the City of Manila, this 26th day of May in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Six.     (SGD.) FERDINAND R. MARCOS, JR.   By the President:   (SGD.) RALPH G. RECTO Acting Executive Secretary