Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 8755)
The official title is the "Charter of the City of Ilagan" as provided by Republic Act No. 10169.
The City of Ilagan's territorial jurisdiction is within the present metes and bounds of the Municipality of Ilagan, subject to resolutions on boundary disputes by appropriate agencies.
The City has continuous corporate existence; can sue and be sued; use a corporate seal; acquire, hold, and convey property; enter contracts; and exercise other powers subject to this Act and other laws.
The elective officials include the city mayor, city vice mayor, and sangguniang panlungsod members.
A City Mayor must be a Filipino citizen, at least 21 years old, a resident of the city for at least one year before election, a qualified voter, and able to read and write in Filipino or any local dialect.
The City Mayor serves a 3-year term and may serve no more than three consecutive terms.
Ordinances are presented to the City Mayor for approval. If vetoed, the Sangguniang Panlungsod can override the veto by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all members.
It is composed of the City Vice Mayor as presiding officer, ten regular members, the presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangay and the Panlungsod na Pederasyon ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan, and three sectoral representatives from women, agricultural/industrial workers, and other sectors.
Disqualifications include final conviction for crimes involving moral turpitude within two years after serving sentence, removal from office due to administrative cases, dual citizenship, insanity, and other specified grounds.
The City Vice Mayor succeeds to the office. Subsequent vacancies among sangguniang panlungsod members fill the positions based on ranking by number of votes obtained.
The City Treasurer must be a Filipino citizen, resident of Ilagan, of good moral character, with a college degree (commerce, law, or public administration preferred), first grade civil service eligible, and with at least five years experience in treasury or accounting. The Treasurer manages city funds, supervises tax collection, and advises on public finance.
The City Health Officer supervises health services, enforces health laws, advises the City Mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod, and leads in delivering health programs, especially in disasters.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod must adopt internal rules on organization, calendar, legislative process, parliamentary procedures, and member discipline within 90 days after election, facilitating efficient lawmaking.
No increase in rates of local taxes may be imposed by the City within five years from its acquisition of corporate existence.
The Secretary of the Department of Finance appoints the City Treasurer from recommended eligibles of the City Mayor, subject to civil service rules.