Do you agree to the City of San Jose del Monte, Province of Bulacan becoming a 'Highly-Urbanized City' pursuant to Proclamation No. 1057 which became law on December 4, 2020?
Outcome
Proposal rejected
Results
Choice
Votes
%
Yes
620,707
43.07%
No
820,385
56.93%
Valid votes
1,441,092
89.62%
Invalid or blank votes
166,912
10.38%
Total votes
1,608,004
100.00%
Registered voters/turnout
2,092,248
76.86%
A plebiscite was held in the province of Bulacan, Philippines, on October 30, 2023, to determine whether San Jose del Monte should be converted into a highly urbanized city. Had it been approved, San Jose del Monte would have become politically, fiscally, and administratively independent from Bulacan. If rejected, the city would remain a component city of the province.
The city government supported the proposal, while the provincial government opposed it. The measure was ultimately rejected, with a narrow majority of voters in San Jose del Monte itself voting against the conversion.
On December 6, 2020, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation No. 1057, proclaiming San Jose del Monte as a highly-urbanized city. The proclamation came after the city's Sangguniang Panglungsod passed Resolution No. 2019-059-09, requesting the President to proclaim the city as such due to meeting the requirements of having "a minimum population of 200,000 as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority and an income of at least P50 million as certified by the City Treasurer". The proclamation will take effect after ratification in a plebiscite.[2]
Preparations
Scheduling
The plebiscite supposed to be held four months after the 2022 national and local elections[3] but it was overdue ever since then. On September 11, 2023, the COMELEC scheduled the plebiscite on October 30, synchronizing with the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.[4][5]
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?
English translation:
Do you agree to the City of San Jose del Monte, Province of Bulacan becoming a 'Highly-Urbanized City' pursuant to Proclamation No. 1057 which became law on December 4, 2020?
Voters were opted to write "yes" or "oo" if they agree, or "no" or "hindi" if they oppose the proposal.[4]
Campaign
The San Jose del Monte government kickstarted its 'Yes' campaign on September 9, 2023 with the Tanglawan Festival.[6] According to Representative Rida Robes, the city "desperately needs" its highly-urbanized city status, and if it stayed being a component city, it will have a small source of funds for service to its people.[7] The League of Municipalities of the Philippines' Bulacan chapter pledged its support through a manifesto.[8] All six members of the House of Representatives from Bulacan supported the proposal.[9] The National Movement of Young Legislators Bulacan Chapter was also for the proposal.[10] The Iglesia ni Cristo backed the proposal, as well.[11]
However, the city's 2nd district councilor Romeo Agapito said that the city is not yet ready for the status, citing higher taxes, unemployment and aid from the provincial capitol becoming limited if it did become a highly urbanized city.[12] The provincial chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay is against the proposal.[9] Two previous governors of Bulacan, Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado and Roberto Pagdanganan, opposed the conversion.[13] The current governor, Daniel Fernando, remarked that "no father is happy when he sees his child leave," but left the choice to the people.[14]
Results
The majority of voters rejected the conversion, as declared by COMELEC two days after the plebiscite,[15] while a tenth of those who participated in the conduct did not vote, leaving blank ballots.[11]
COMELEC explained that the involvement of the entire Bulacan in the plebiscite is due to a Supreme Court ruling on a similar case in Nueva Ecija, G.R. No. 203974: Umali v. COMELEC.[a] Unlike before when only the city itself could participate in such cases, the decision indicated that all residents affected by the change of constituency in such an entity should be consulted.[17]
Do you agree to the City of San Jose del Monte, Province of Bulacan becoming a 'Highly-Urbanized City'?
For purposes of representation in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, Bulacan is divided into seven congressional districts, the 1st to 6th congressional districts of Bulacan, and San Jose del Monte's district.
For purposes of representation in the Bulacan Provincial Board, it is identical to congressional districts, except that San Jose del Monte is not treated separately but is instead included in the 4th provincial board district.
Proclamation No. 1057, Conversion of the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan into a Highly-Urbanized City
COMELEC Resolution No. 10948, Resolution adapting the Calendar of Activities and Periods of Certain Prohibited Acts in connection with the October 30, 2023 BSKE under Resolution No. 10905 as the Calendar of Activities for the purpose of Plebiscite to Ratify the Conversion of the City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan into a Highly-Urbanized City pursuant to Proclamation No. 1057
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