The Senate has approved on third and final reading the bill seeking to convert the municipality of Carmona into a component city of Cavite.
House Bill No. 3968, taking into consideration Senate Bill No. 1355 was approved with 19 affirmative votes, zero abstention, and no objection on Monday, January 30.
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, said he believes that the municipality of Carmona is now qualified for conversion into a component city.
Ejercito said Carmona complied with the two requirements set by the law under Republic Act No. 11683 for cityhood--its generated annual income and the number of its population.
It was Ejercito who sponsored the bill, now under Committee Report No. 12, entitled An Act Converting the Municipality of Carmona in the Province of Cavite into a Component City to be known as the City of Carmona.
“It is an industrial community that hosts 12 industrial estates and four industrial compounds that house 329 manufacturing, garments, semiconductor, electronics, and steel fabrication industries,” Ejercito said.
“Carmona is also a rising smart city. Its biggest ongoing development and investment is expected to further transform Carmona into one of the most modern and highly urbanized communities in the Philippines,” he added.
Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., author of the bill, said he is confident the proposed conversion will enhance Carmona's capability of enticing more investments and increase peace and development in the locality as well.
“All the major indicators of the real and viable industrialization are present in Carmona, which includes leisure parks, hospitals, universities, subdivisions and real states, and the more than 450 industrial establishments, including the recent development of the 200-hectare Smart City of Carmona,” Revilla said.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has cited Carmona as the Philippines’ richest municipality in 2021 with P6.212 billion total assets based on the latest Annual Financial Report
But Carmona will lose its distinction as the country’s 2021 richest municipality once the bill is signed into law.