Creation and Modification of LGUs
As a matter of principle, higher legislative entities have the power to create, divide, merge, abolish, or substantially alter boundaries of any lower-level LGU through a law or by an ordinance, all subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite to be conducted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in the local government unit or units directly affected. The Local Government Code has also set requisites for creating local government units. A summary can be found in the table below:
| LGU | Area | Population | Income | Legislative bodies that can create, merge, abolish or substantially alter the boundaries of the LGU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province | 2,000 square kilometers* | 250,000* | P20 million for the last two (2) consecutive years based on 1991 constant prices |
|
| City | 100 square kilometers* | 150,000* | P100 million for the last two (2) consecutive years based on 2000 constant prices |
|
| Municipality | 50 square kilometers | 25,000 | P2.5 million for the last two (2) consecutive years based on 1991 constant prices |
|
| Barangay | None | 5,000 (Metro Manila and highly-urbanized cities) 2,000 (rest of the country) |
None |
|
*either area or population; meeting only one of these requirements is sufficient
^The ARMM Regional Assembly was conferred by Congress (through Article VI, Section 19 of Republic Act 9054) the power to create or modify lower-level LGUs under its jurisdiction, including provinces and cities. However, the Supreme Court's decision on the unconstitutionality of the now-defunct province of Shariff Kabunsuan has effectively confined the regional assembly's powers to creating or modifying only municipalities and barangays.
Read more about this topic: Local Government In The Philippines
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