CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE–This first component city in Bulacan gears to be the third highly urbanized city (HUC) in Central Luzon, next after Olongapo City and Angeles City through a plebiscite set during the Oct. 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
San Jose del Monte, which became a component city, in 2000 will need a majority number from the turn in of votes from the 2,099,914 registered voters in the province, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) assistant regional director Elmo Duque.
Mona Ann Campos, Bulacan Provincial Election Supervisor (PES) said on Sunday that the plebiscite is manual and has a separate ballot.
Voters need to write “yes” or “oo” if they approve the conversion into HUC and “no” or “hindi” for rejection on the question in the ballot, “Pumapayag ka ba na ang Lungsod ng San Jose del Monte, Lalawigan ng Bulacan ay gawing isang Highly Urbanized City alinsunod sa Proclamation No. 1057 na naging ganap na batas noong Disyembre 4, 2020?” (Do you agree for the City of San Jose del Monte, Province of Bulacan to become a Highly Urbanized City in line with Proclamation No. 1057 which had been made into law on December 4, 2020).
Former President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the said Proclamation No. 1057.
Section 452 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7160 or the “Local Government Code of 1991, cities or municipalities with a minimum population of 200,000 inhabitants and with the latest annual income of at least P50 million shall be classified as HUC.
The City of San Jose del Monte has met the first two requirements. It has a total population today of 651,813 and surpassed the P50 million worth required annual earnings. Its registered voters are now at 277,650 and the largest in the province.
Before Duterte issued and signed Proclamation No. 1057, the Sangguniang Panglungsod of San Jose del Monte issued Resolution No. 2019-059-09 humbly requesting him to issue a presidential proclamation for the conversion of the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan from component city into an HUC.
San Jose del Monte which is adjacent to Quezon City, Caloocan City and Rodriguez Rizal is now branded as the Rising City of Bulacan. It is the first municipality in the province which became a component city.
The city is also known as the relocation capital of the country because of a series of numerous national government housing projects for Metro Manila Informal Settlers (IFS) that began in 1963 and 1964.
Around 20,000 families were relocated to Barangay Sapang-Palay during that time. To date, there are about 10 flagship national government housing projects in the city.
The city has now 156,871 households.
San Jose del Monte is the 18th most populated city in the country and the largest local government unit in Bulacan and Central Luzon, according to Mayor Arthur Robes.
During the election period, the city whips the winning votes in the province’s top posts.
City of San Jose del Monte Lone District Rep. Florida Robes, the proponent of the HUC conversion said the continued increase in their population today requires the component city to become an HUC to meet the growing basic needs of the people.
