Scope and Definitions
- Municipality or cluster of barangays: Administrative local government units eligible for conversion.
- Locally generated average annual income: Revenue derived from the municipality or barangays excluding special funds, transfers, and non-recurring income.
- Contiguous territory: A continuous land area as certified by the appropriate bureau.
- Population certification: Based on data from the National Statistics Office.
- Metes and bounds: Legal description identifying precise boundaries.
Procedural Provisions
- Conversion depends on certification of income, territory size, or population by respective government agencies.
- The creation of the new city must not diminish the original municipal units below the prescribed minimum thresholds.
- Proper identification of the city’s boundaries is mandatory.
Repealing Clause
- All laws, decrees, rules, regulations, and issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are repealed or modified accordingly.
Effectivity Clause
- The Act took effect on June 30, 2001, following its complete publication in at least two national newspapers of general circulation.
Important Legal Concepts
- The law implements stricter income requirements for city conversion, adjusting for constant prices.
- It balances economic viability (income) with territorial and demographic criteria.
- The law recognizes special geographic conditions such as islands exempting contiguous land area requirements.
- Certifying agencies ensure factual and objective measurement of requirements.
- The provision for metes and bounds assures clarity in jurisdictional boundaries upon conversion.