Benguet caretaker, Rep. Eric Go Yap, has filed House Bill 6367 seeking to establish the capital town of La Trinidad as a component city.
Yap said that once realized, the conversion would pave the way for more development and added services to the growing population of the first-class municipality through additional budget.
Moreover, it will provide the means to properly address issues and concerns of the provincial capital.
The legislative caretaker of the province said the cityhood would still be up to the people of La Trinidad.
“Siyempre, nasa ating mga kababayan sa Benguet pa rin ang desisyon kung gusto talaga nila maging lungsod ang La Trinidad. Meron pa rin naman tayong plebesito,” Yap said.
During his recent visit in the municipality, Yap said he wanted Benguet to have its own identity apart from Baguio City.
He said La Trinidad could be developed more with its various tourist attractions and land area.
“Gusto natin makilala ang La Trinidad bilang La Trinidad City, at hindi lang bilang katabi ng Baguio City. We want a unique identity for La Trinidad, and for Benguet as a whole,” he said.
He said the presence of Asia’s premiere mixed martial arts group, Team Lakay with its headquarters in Barangay Pico, could also be one of the tourist attractions in the town.
Mayor Romeo Salda has welcomed the proposal stating the conversion of La Trinidad into a component city of the province will pave way for more developments and budget for the town.
Salda said the local government unit has since been clamoring for the cityhood of La Trinidad.
Yap also filed HB 6366 which seeks to automatically convert the capital town of provinces without a component city within its territorial jurisdiction, into a component city.
Based on the 2015 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority, La Trinidad, which is a first-class municipality, has a population of 129,133 individuals.
The town has a revenue of P314,459,930 in 2016 and with a land area of 70.04 square kilometers or bigger than the land area of Baguio at 57.5 square kilometers. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 23, 2024
