THE TOWN of Baliuag in Bulacan province is now a city after its residents voted on Saturday in favor of a law on the conversion, which gives the area a bigger share in national taxes, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
In a statement on Saturday evening, Comelec said a total of 17,814 agreed with Baliuag’s cityhood or 75.6% of those who cast their ballots.
The voter turnout was only 21.7% with 23,562 out of 108,572 registered voters participating in the plebiscite.
Baliuag, with a population of 168,470 as of the 2020 census, will now be the country’s 147th city and one of the 109 component cities, or those which remain under the administrative authority of the province.
In a separate statement, election watchdog National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said the plebiscite was conducted in a generally smooth and peaceful manner.
“However, while the counting was transparent, there were very few observers who could further strengthen the process by being able to ascertain that what was being read was accurate,” Namfrel said.
“The dream of the Baliwageños has become a reality thanks to the cooperation from Comelec, the Department of Education, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government,” the election body said in Filipino. — John Victor D. Ordoñez