This is a list ofchartered cities in the Philippines.Philippine cities are classified into three groups: highly urbanized cities (HUC), independent component cities (ICC), and component cities (CC).
Highly urbanized cities are local government units autonomous from provinces that have a minimum population of 200,000 and an annual income of at least₱ 50 million (in 1991 constant prices).Independent component cities are cities outside of provincial jurisdiction (although some are allowed to participate in the election of provincial officials) that have not yet attained the 'highly urbanized' status, whilecomponent cities are those under a province's jurisdiction.[1] In addition, each city is classified into six income brackets according to income in a four-year period. For instance, 1st class cities have an income of₱ 400 million or more, while 6th class cities earn less than₱ 80 million in a four-year period.
Each city is governed by both the Local Government Code of 1991[2] and the city's ownmunicipal charter, under the laws of the Philippines.
There are 149cities of the Philippines as of July 8, 2023.[3] Thirty-three of these arehighly urbanized cities (HUC), five areindependent component cities (ICC), with the rest beingcomponent cities (CC) of their respective provinces.City charter documents, if available, could be accessed by clicking on the related external link (CA indicatesCommonwealth Act,RA forRepublic Act).
^Highly urbanized cities (HUC) andindependent component cities (ICC) are legally independent from any province, although they are often grouped with the province they belonged to prior to their cityhood. The province indicated for such cities, as grouped by thePhilippine Statistics Authority, is initalics.
^Some of these city charters have been replaced, revised, or amended since. The link to the text of the original city charter is given if available online.
^Most city charters were approved after being signed by the president. However, some were approved only after they lapsed into law, i.e. becoming law without the president's signature, which is possible if 30 days after being sent to the president's office for approval the act has remained unsigned.
^Before 1987, most municipalities gained cityhood immediately after the enactment or approval of their city charters. Only few pre-1987 city charters had a set date of effectivity (such as Tagbilaran's and Dipolog's) or required a plebiscite for the city to acquire corporate existence (such as Caloocan's or Laoag's). However, since 1987 city charters require ratification through a plebiscite, with a majority of votes cast by city residents affirming the charter. If not enough information is available, a charter's date of approval is assumed to be its date of effectivity, and the date is initalics.
^Population figure for Angeles includes residents of disputed areas between its boundary withMabalacat.
^Population figure for Mabalacat excludes residents of disputed areas between its boundary withAngeles City.
^abLand area and population figures for Makati exclude Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside, which are still administered by Makati, but ruled in court to be part of Taguig in 2003.
^Population figure for Pasig excludes residents in areas disputed between this city and the municipality ofCainta, Rizal.
^abLand area and population figures for Taguig include Post Proper Northside and Post Proper Southside, which are still administered by Makati, but ruled in court to be part of Taguig in 2023.
Dates of inauguration/organization
Many pre-1987 cities had set dates of inauguration (where the president or a high-ranking government official participates in ceremonies marking the attainment of cityhood) or had set dates of organization (where the newly converted city officially starts to fully function as expected). These dates may be set by the president, city officials or Congress.
^"Local History; Timeline".City of Alaminos. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.March 28, 2001 – Eighty-five percent (85%) of Alaminians voted 'Yes' in a plebiscite, making Alaminos the fourth city of the province of Pangasinan.
^"Barangay Alangilan".Official Website of Bacolod City. Archived fromthe original on September 24, 2015. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.The most historic event took place in 1938 when Bacolod was elevated into a city through Commonwealth Act 326 passed by the National Assembly creating the Chartered City of Bacolod. ... The law was passed on June 18, 1938, but it was not until October 19, 1938, that the city was inaugurated because of persistent rains during the year. Bacolod was proclaimed as Chartered City by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 404.
^Cinco, Maricar (June 26, 2012)."36,226 residents ratify Bacoor's conversion into city".Philippine Daily Inquirer. Inquirer Southern Luzon. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.Bacoor in Cavite is now officially a city after 36,226 of its residents voted "yes" in favor of the town's conversion into a city. Annie Laceda, Bacoor municipal election officer, announced the results of the plebiscite which drew 40,080 votes on June 23. Only 3,854 residents rejected the conversion.
^"About Bago City; The Birth of a City..."City of Bago (government website). Archived fromthe original on December 22, 2015. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.Bago City was finally granted its cityhood on February 19, 1966, by virtue of Republic Act. No. 4382 ...
^"Batac Declares June 23 as Cityhood Day".City of Batac (government website). RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016....an estimated 90 percent of Batac residents voted for the conversion of Batac into a city during the plebiscite held June 23, 2007...
^abcdefghijkl"Thirteen (13) New Cities in the Country in the Second Quarter of 2007".Philippine Statistics Authority – National Statistical Coordination Board. August 6, 2007. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.Thirteen municipalities in the country were converted into (13) new cities in the second quarter, 2007. Thus, the number of cities increased from 118 as of March 31, 2007, to 131 cities in June 30 of the same year. …
^"House Bill 00974"(PDF).House of Representatives of the Philippines. Quezon City, Philippines. July 4, 2016. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on May 13, 2019. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Butuan became a political entity in 1907 through the enactment of Act No. 1693 and a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 523, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Butuan, which was signed into law on August 2, 1950.
^"Brief History".City of Cadiz. Archived fromthe original on February 17, 2012. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.On July 4, 1967, Cadiz was inaugurated as a City with the approval of Republic Act 4894 on June 17, 1967, in Congress.
^"Brief History".Cagayan de Oro City Website. Department of Trade and Industry. 2001. Archived fromthe original on July 3, 2003. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.President Elpidio Quirino signed the city charter at 11:30 in the morning of June 15, 1950.
^Catalan, Aimee (October 19, 2013)."Calbayog City celebrates its 65th birthday".Official Website of the City Government of Calbayog. Local Government Unit of Calbayog. Archived fromthe original on August 25, 2016. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Calbayog became a City in 1948 at Jose Dira Avelino's instance when, as President of the Senate, pulled together three contiguous municipalities, Oquendo, Calbayog and Tinambacan, and made it into the 19th city of the Philippines on October 16, 1948.
^"Part V; Dagupan Becomes a City".Dagupan.com. Archived fromthe original on March 3, 2016. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Dagupan became a city by virtue of Republic Act 170. ... Authored by then Speaker Eugenio Perez, it was Signed into law by President Manuel A. Roxas on June 20, 1947· By ruling of the Supreme Court, Dagupan became a city on the day the city charter was approved into law June 20, 1847.
^ab"Davao City: On the Move to Progress".Official Website of Davao City. Archived fromthe original on January 20, 2011. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Davao was created as a city when then Assemblyman Romualdo C. Quimpo of Davao sponsored a bill in Congress on March 16, 1936, making Davao a chartered city. The said bill was signed into law by President Manuel L. Quezon on October 16, 1936. The formal inauguration was held on March 1, 1937.
^"PSGC Updates (October to December 2015)".Philippine Statistics Authority – National Statistical Coordination Board. December 31, 2015. Archived fromthe original on March 4, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.Republic Act No. 10675, converting Municipality of General Trias into a component city was ratified through a plebiscite conducted by the COMELEC on December 12, 2015.
^Defensor, Melinda C. (October 20, 2006)."The Official Online Home of the Province of Iloilo".Province of Iloilo. Archived fromthe original on March 23, 2010. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Because it progressed steadily, the Commonwealth Act No. 158 incorporated the surrounding towns of Lapaz, Jaro, Mandurriao and Arevalo to form Iloilo City and was finally inaugurated on Aug. 25, 1937, and was dubbed as the "Queen City of the South".
^"Two Municipalities Converted into Cities in the Second Quarter of 2012". Philippine Statistics Authority – National Statistical Coordination Board. August 13, 2012. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.... the conversion of the Municipality of Imus in the Province of Cavite in Region IV-A (CALABARZON) into a Component City was pursuant to Republic Act No. 10161 and ratified through a plebiscite conducted by the COMELEC on June 30, 2012.
^Oaminal, Clarence Paul (July 24, 2015)."Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu Charter".The Freeman. The Philippine Star. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.The Municipality of Opon was converted into a city and renamed as Lapu-Lapu City by virtue of Republic Act 3134 enacted on June 17, 1961. ... Lapu-Lapu City was inaugurated on December 31, 1961.
^"Modern Times".De La Salle Lipa. 2005. Archived fromthe original on September 27, 2007. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.On June 20, 1947, the town of Lipa became a Chartered City under Republic Act No. 162 sponsored by the Speaker Jose B. Laurel and signed by President Manuel Roxas.
^"History".City Government of Lucena. Archived fromthe original on April 15, 2008. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Lucena became Chartered City by virtue of Republic Act No. 3271 on June 17, 1961, through the efforts of then Congressman Manuel S. Enverga. On August 19, 1962, Lucena City was inaugurated while celebrating the 84th Anniversary of Manuel Luis Quezon.
^"Mantawi. . . A Festival of History".Mandaue City Government. 2004. Archived fromthe original on April 6, 2005. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.President Ferdinand Marcos signed the Republic Act numbered 5519 known as the Charter of inaugurated on August 30, 1969
^ab"Marawi City: The Least Populated Highly Urbanized City".Philippine Statistics Authority. September 18, 2002. Archived fromthe original on February 21, 2012. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.The old Dansalan became a charter city on August 19, 1940, pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 592, but was inaugurated only on September 30, 1950, due to the Pacific War.
^"Ormoc City Profile".City Development Strategies in the Philippines. 2007. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Ormoc became a city through Republic Act No. 179 fathered by Congressman Dominador Tan, which was approved on June 21, 1947. The late first President of the Philippine Republic Manuel A. Roxas proclaimed Ormoc a city on September 4, 1947. By virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 42, Ormoc was formally inaugurated as a city on October 20, 1947, exactly three years after the famous Leyte Landing.
^"Region 10 – Cagayan de Oro Tourism Situationer 6".VisitMyPhilippines.com. Department of Tourism. p. 101. Archived fromthe original(DOC) on September 30, 2007. RetrievedJanuary 7, 2016.Approximately, three years after World War II, Misamis became a Chartered City on July 16, 1948, by virtue of House Bill No. 1656. The town of Misamis was formally inaugurated as Ozamiz City on July 16, 1948.
^Lumaque, Alex A. (May 13, 2016)."Roxas City celebrates 65th cityhood".Philippine Information Agency. Archived fromthe original on August 26, 2016. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.The cityhood emanated from a bill for the creation of Roxas City, which was sponsored by then Rep. Ramon Arnaldo and was signed into law by President Elpidio Quirino on April 11, 1951, three years after Pres. Roxas died at 56. Executive Order 438 issued by Pres. Quirino fixed the date of its charter on May 12, 1951.
^"San Pablo City".The Official Website of SanPablo City. 2003. Archived fromthe original on September 30, 2007. RetrievedAugust 26, 2016.On May 7, 1940, the Charter Bill sponsored by Congressman Tomas Dizon was approved. The bill became known as the City Charter of San Pablo or Commonwealth Act No. 520. The city was inaugurated on March 30, 1941...
^"One Province Established and One Municipality Converted into a City in the Fourth Quarter of 2013".Philippine Statistics Authority. January 17, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.... the municipality of San Pedro in the province of Laguna in Region IV-A (Calabarzon) was converted into a Component City to be known as City of San Pedro pursuant to Republic Act No. 10420 and ratified through a plebiscite conducted by the COMELEC on December 28, 2013.
^"A City, Two Municipalities and Two Barangays were Created from January to July 2004".Philippine Statistics Authority – National Statistical Coordination Board. August 22, 2004. Archived fromthe original on June 15, 2006. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2016.The municipality of Santa Rosa, Laguna was converted into a city pursuant to Republic Act No. 9264 dated March 10, 2004, ratified in the plebiscite held on July 10, 2004.
^"History".City Government of Tacloban. 2016. Archived fromthe original on August 27, 2016. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.On June 20, 1952, Tacloban was proclaimed a chartered city virtue of Republic Act No. 760 which took effect on June 12, 1953.
^"A City and a Barangay Were Created (October 1 – December 31, 2004)".Philippine Statistics Authority – National Statistical Coordination Board. January 27, 2005. Archived fromthe original on November 13, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 22, 2018.The number of cities increased to 117 in December 2004 from 116 in September of the same year due to the conversion of the municipality of Taguig in the NCR into a highly urbanized city effective December 8, 2004, pursuant to Republic Act No. 8487 dated April 25, 1998, and COMELEC Resolution on the Election Protest Case (EPC) No. 98-102 which declares and confirms the ratification and approval of the conversion.
^"Brief History".Technology Resource Center. Department of Science and Technology. Archived fromthe original on September 28, 2007. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.It became the 50th city of the Philippines when chartered on June 17, 1967, under Republic Act 5131 and was formally inaugurated on February 28, 1968.
^"Dia de Zamboanga".City Government of Zamboanga. Archived fromthe original on December 17, 2019. RetrievedAugust 25, 2016.Zamboanga City's status as a chartered city was formally inaugurated on February 26, 1937.
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