Baybay town on the verge of citihood

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
November 15, 2006

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  Baybay town may soon become the third city of Leyte and the fifth city in Eastern Visayas.

This was learned from Congresswoman Carmen Cari of the fifth district of Leyte, in a chance meeting with PIA, recently.

The optimism that Baybay will soon become a city arose from the fact that the Bill has hurdled the second reading in Senate. It is only awaiting for the third reading and the final approval of the Senators.

Congresswoman Cari passed House Bill No. 01380 entitled An Act Converting the Municipality of Baybay, Province of Leyte into a Component City to be known as the City of Baybay, in 2004. It was passed by the House of Representatives but it has to be passed by the Senate, too, before it becomes a law.

It was passed by the House of Representatives together with the other municipalities in the country which filed for city hood almost in the same year as Baybay. Months thereafter, both Houses of Congress agreed that there will be moratorium in the conversion of status of Local Government Units.

The League of Cities in the Philippines was vehemently objecting to the conversion of municipalities to become cities as it will reduce their share in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).  The IRA which is the mandated share of the Local Government Units under the law, is divided by the four LGU groups namely Provinces, Cities and Municipalities and Barangays.  Hence, adding more municipalities to the cities will definitely reduce the share of the existing cities while the municipalities will individually increase their share as their number reduced.

Congresswoman Cari is positive, however, that majority of the senators will support her bill and eventually convert Baybay into a city.  Once converted, Baybay will enjoy more income from the IRA and from local taxes, thereby, improving as well the delivery of basic services to its constituents.

Baybay is classified as a first class municipality composed of 92 barangays. Of this number, 23 are in the poblacion composing the zones. The remaining 69 are rural barangays. Covering an area of 46,050 hectares, Baybay is situated on the western coast of the province of Leyte. The most common crops grown are rice, corn, root crops, fruits, and vegetables. Industries operating include the Specialty Products Manufacturing, Inc. and Visayan Oil Mill. Various cottage industries can also be found in the municipality such as bamboo and rattan craft, ceramics, dress-making, fiber craft, food preservation, mat weaving, metal craft and other related activities.

Baybay has great potentials as a tourist destination. It is not only rich in biodiversity and history it also houses the renowned magnet attractions like the campus of the Leyte State University and the Jungle Valley Park. Likewise, it has river systems fit for river cruising, numerous caves for spelunking, forests, beaches, and marine treasures.