TABUK CITY, Kalinga May 30 President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed into law Republic Act (RA) No. 11328 which created a new barangay in this component city to help in improving the delivery of services by the government to the people in the city.
RA 11328 which was principally authored by Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang separated the sitios of Guina-ang, Madopdup, Mallango, Lanlana and San Pablo from barangay Lacnog in the city and constituting them into a separate and independent barangay to be known as barangay Lacnog West.
The law which was signed by the President on April 17, 2019 provides that the separated sitios that constitute the new barangay has an area of some 5,702, 292 square meters.
Further, pursuant to Section 10 of RA No. 7160 as amended, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, the new barangay of Lacnog West shall exist upon the approval by a majority of the votes cast by the qualified voters of barangay Lacnog in a plebiscite to be conducted and supervised by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the affected area, not later than 120 days from the effectivity of the same law.
There law provided that the amount necessary for the conduct of such plebiscite shall be borne by the Tabuk city government and that the first set of barangay officials of barangay Lacnog West shall be appointed by the provincial governor and shall hold office until such time that their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified.
Based on the approved law, all public infrastructure and facilities for public use existing at the time of the approval of the Act will be transferred without cost or compensation to and shall be administered by the new barangay.
RA 11328 stated that barangay Lacnog West shall be entitled to Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share pursuant to Section 485 of RA 7160, as amended, and that the said Act shall take effect within 15 days after its publication in the official gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Mangaoang revealed that Lacnog West will be the 43rd barangay of Tabuk city, one of the fastest growing component city north of Manila, because of its vast land area closely equal to that of Davao City.
The re-elected lawmaker expressed his gratitude to President Duterte for signing into law the bill that he authored in the Lower House that sought to create another barangay saying that the additional barangay will definitely be part of the continuous growth and development of the city.
Tabuk City is being eyed by the Regional Development Council (RDC) as the future regional center of the Cordillera with the presence of vast tracks of lands that could be developed into industrial and commercial sites to entice investors to consider the Cordillera as one of their investment hubs.
One of the ongoing works in Kalinga is the putting in place of the East Kalinga growth center with needed infrastructures to will help improve the state of development in the city in the coming years.
By HENT