Benguet seeks 1st class status

BAGUIO - Members of the Benguet Provincial Board is requesting Senate President Aqulino Pimentel III and Speaker of the House of Representatives Pantaelon Alvarez for the reclassification of the province from second class to first class province.

In a resolution, the Provincial Board addressed on third and final reading the reclassification of the province after complying with the guidelines set by the Bureau of Local Government of Finance (BLGF).

The resolution said such reclassification will ultimately redound to the benefit of the province and the delivery of effective services for the general welfare.

Board Member Robert Namoro, proponent of the measure, said the province is still operating as a second class although it is already qualified for first class.

Under the Department of Finance existing income brackets issued in 2008, a first class province should have P450 million and above of annual income, P360 million but not more than P450 million for second class province, and P270 million but not more than P360 million for a third class province.

“It's up to the congress to act on the guidelines on how to re-classsify. We are reiterating the resolution reminding the Senate President and the Speaker of the House to fast-track the legislation,” said Namoro.

Records from the Provincial Planning Development Office of Benguet reveal a P100 million annual income increase since 2014 with P754,553,141.15; P852,687,589.66 in 2016, and P963,978,301.21 in 2016.

The province remains as a second class province since the 1990's despite the increase in its general annual income which is qualified for the reclassification. SS-Baguio