Corporate and General Powers of the City
- City may have a common seal, levy taxes, manage roads and public properties.
- City can expropriate private property for public use.
- Can enter contracts; sue and be sued.
- City and officials liable for damages for injury or death.
- Police jurisdiction coextensive with territorial bounds and extended over water supply drainage areas.
- Courts in the city have concurrent jurisdiction over offenses within special zones.
City Officials: Composition and Appointment
- Offices include mayor, vice mayor, sangguniang panlungsod, treasurer, assessor, accountant, budget officer, and other specialized officers.
- Mayor can appoint additional officers such as architect, information officer, population officer.
- Establishments: fire station, jail, school division, prosecution service.
- Mayor appoints department heads with sangguniang panlungsod approval.
The City Mayor: Powers and Duties
- Chief executive elected at large; qualifications include age, residency, and voter status.
- Terms of office: three years; salary per law.
- Powers include policy direction, legislation initiative, appointments, contracts, emergency measures.
- Represents city in all transactions; supervises officers; can summon national officials for coordination.
- Ensures enforcement of ordinances, delivers services, promotes fiscal discipline.
- Powers in maintaining peace, order, public welfare, and calamity response.
- Authority to issue licenses, permits, and conduct official ceremonies.
The City Vice Mayor: Powers and Duties
- Elected alongside mayor with same qualifications and term.
- Presides over sangguniang panlungsod; appoints sanggunian staff.
- Assumes mayor’s office upon vacancy temporarily or permanently.
- Exercises mayoral powers during temporary absence.
Sangguniang Panlungsod: Composition, Functions, and Powers
- Composed of vice mayor (presiding officer), elected members, presidents of barangay and youth councils, and sectoral representatives.
- Legislative duties: enact ordinances, impose penalties, manage city resources, protect public welfare and environment.
- Control city budget, taxation, franchises, land use, public utilities.
- Oversees public services, social welfare, education, environmental protection, and public health.
- Enacts rules regulating nuisances, gambling, traffic, establishments, waste disposal, and animal welfare.
Legislative Procedures and Conduct
- Adoption of internal rules including committees and procedures.
- Full disclosure required from sanggunian members on financial and business interests to avoid conflicts.
- Regular and special sessions rules specified, including quorum and penalties for absence.
- Ordinance approval process: mayor’s veto power with override mechanism.
- Review of ordinances by provincial sangguniang panlalawigan and sangguniang panlungsod.
- Enforcement of disapproved ordinances penalized.
Disqualifications and Succession of Elective Officials
- Disqualifications include final judgments for crimes, removal from office, dual citizenship, insanity, among others.
- Succession rules for mayor, vice mayor, and sangguniang panlungsod members based on ranking and appointments.
- Temporary vacancy rules for mayor with limits on delegated powers.
Appointive City Officials: Qualifications, Powers, and Duties
- Secretary of sangguniang panlungsod, city treasurer, assistant treasurer, assessor, assistant assessor, accountant, budget officer, planning and development coordinator, engineer, health officer, civil registrar, administrator, legal officer, social welfare officer, veterinarian, general services officer, environment officer, architect, information officer, cooperatives officer, population officer, agriculturist.
- Detailed qualifications: citizenship, residency, education, experience.
- Duties cover administrative, financial, planning, legal, health, social, agricultural, environmental, infrastructural, and informational services.
- Officers responsible for supporting city functions, policy formulation, enforcement, record keeping, and disaster response.
City Fire Station, Jail, School Division, and Prosecution Service
- City fire station established with qualified personnel and equipment.
- City jail maintained for prisoners and detainees with humane standards.
- City school division headed by qualified division superintendent established by Department of Education.
- City prosecution service organized under Department of Justice handling criminal cases.
Transitory and Final Provisions
- Existing municipal ordinances remain in force until amended.
- City acquires corporate existence upon plebiscite ratification.
- Current municipal officials continue in office until new officials qualify.
- City succeeds to municipal assets, liabilities, and obligations.
- City remains under provincial jurisdiction; residents vote in provincial elections.
- Tax rate increases suspended for five years after cityhood.
- City remains part of existing congressional district.
- Applicable laws include the Local Government Code and other related laws.
- Separability clause ensures validity even if part of the Act is invalidated.
- Resolves boundary dispute jurisdiction separately.
- Repealing clause annuls inconsistent laws.
- Act takes effect upon publication in newspapers.