Mayors urge SC to bare 'secret letters' on cityhood

MANILA, Philippines –  The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) urged the Supreme Court yesterday to make public the “secret letters” which they claimed prompted the justices to flip-flop on their earlier decision rejecting the creation of the 16 new cities.

San Fernando, Pampanga Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, LCP president told The STAR during a forum at the Hotel Rembrandt yesterday that they were puzzled what promoted the SC to “resurrect the cases from the grave” after it received an unusual communication from a law firm representing the 16 cities.

Lawyer Joseph Morigomen, LCP legal counsel, said the two letters bore the letterhead Estelito Mendoza and Associates.

The two letters, according to Morigomen, were received by the Supreme Court on Jan. 19, 2009 on the controversial case questioning the constitutionality creating the new cities.

Rodriguez said the 122-strong league of cities, as well as their lawyers had considered the case closed after the SC declared on Nov. 18, 2008 that the laws creating the new cities were unconstitutional.

The SC denied the multiple motion for reconsideration filed by the new cities, stating that no further pleadings shall be entertained and that their decision has become final and executory.

Rodriguez said the decision was deemed executed when the Department of Budget and Management on June 30, 2009 reverted the status of the 16 cities to towns in the final allocation for the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).

“More so the Commission on Election issued resolution 8640 in September 2009, ordaining that the voters in the 16 municipalities shall vote as municipalities in May 10, 2010 elections,” he said.

Rodriguez said the SC decision is not only final and executory, it was deemed executed with the DBM final IRA allocation in 2008 and the resolution of the Comelec.

However, they will file motion for consideration and will await the final SC ruling, he added.

Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza, LCP secretary-general, said they are now studying their option to file an impeachment case against justices who voted for the reversal of the decision.

“Impeachment is just one of the options,” he said.