E.B. Magalona to achieve first-class status

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — Once labeled a sleeping locality, E.B. Magalona town in northern Negros will soon join the ranks of the first-class municipalities in the country.

E.B. Magalona Mayor Marvin Malacon said the town is qualified to be a first-class municipality after it reached an annual budget of P200 million.

The town’s Municipal Budget Officer, Debbie Ann Dioneo Monte, confirmed that E.B. Magalona has reached an annual budget of P200 million in the past three years.

She said that the 2024 National Tax Allocation for E.B. Magalona town is P225,706,168.

Malacon made the revelation in a recent press briefing where he and Monte, along with several town officials, presented their respective clearances from the Office of the Ombudsman after graft charges against them were dismissed.

Malacon told Daily Guardian on Friday that while waiting for confirmation from the Bureau of Local Government Finance, he considered this a major accomplishment in his three terms as mayor of the town.

When he assumed office eight years ago, the town was a second-class municipality.

Republic Act (RA) No. 11964, otherwise known as the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act, which was signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on October 26, 2023, classifies provinces, cities, and municipalities into five classes according to their income ranges, based on the average annual regular income for the three fiscal years preceding a general income reclassification.

It further states that municipalities will be classified into five classes according to their income range and based on the average annual income for the three fiscal years preceding a general income classification.

First-class municipalities are those that have obtained an average annual regular income of P200 million or more.

Malacon said this would mean an increase in the National Tax Allotment, previously referred to as P40 million to P50 million, for the municipality.

He said this will give way to more basic services for Saraviahanons, increases in salaries, and the number of plantilla positions, among others.

Malacon said that under his term, the number of job order employees was reduced while more municipal government workers were regularized.

Malacon’s term as mayor of E.B. Magalona will end on June 30, 2025.

When asked about his plans for 2025, Malacon said he has not decided yet whether to run for a local or provincial level position.

He confirmed that Team Asenso in the 3rd district of Negros Occidental has already endorsed his son, Matthew Louis, as its candidate for mayor of E.B. Magalona.

His son’s candidacy was also endorsed by Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, a former lawmaker in the 3rd district.

Malacon is reportedly deciding whether to run as his son’s running mate or aspire for a position on the provincial board representing the third district.