The League of Cities of the Philippines has asked House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. to respect the rules of cityhood creation, and not to entertain cityhood bills that fail to meet the requirements of Republic Act 9009.

LCP Chairman and Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri urged the 15th Congress to always uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and not to circumvent the provisions in RA 9009 just to accommodate “political gerrymandering.”

In their August 11 appeal/letter to Speaker Belmonte, Echiverri, along with LCP secretary general and Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza of Pangasinan, Angeles City Mayor Ed Pamintuan and Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, asked the lawmakers to be more consultative, open and transparent in its deliberations and public hearings, and consider the implications of their actions on the economic growth and development of the 122 current LCP members.

They asked the legislators not to violate their own laws that they have passed so as not to set a bad precedent and avoid a repeat of the controversial 16 cityhood laws passed in the 12th Congress.

“Let us not be lawmakers, law breakers,” the LCP said.

“Many (small) municipalities wanted to become cities. But RA 9009 should be your bible in the approval of the cityhood laws,” said Echiverri, once a three-term congressman.

The LCP challenged the validity of the 16 cityhood laws saying the municipalities concerned failed to comply with the average P100-million income requirement.