EIGHT municipalities in Pangasinan have surpassed the ₱500-million annual income threshold, one of the two key requirements for conversion into a city under existing laws, according to records reviewed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Based on the latest Order of Business submitted for provincial review, the municipalities that have exceeded the ₱500-million annual appropriation budget are Bayambang, Malasiqui, Mangaldan, Lingayen, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara, Binalonan, and Sual.
The respective municipalities have earned – Bayambang (₱637.69 million), Malasiqui (₱609.29 million), Mangaldan (₱539.04 million), Lingayen (₱531.29 million), Calasiao (₱517.18 million), Sta. Barbara (₱510.00 million), Binalonan (₱927 million), and Sual (₱505.00 million).
Under Republic Act No. 11964, or the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act, a municipality must post at least ₱500 million in locally generated average annual income for two consecutive years to qualify for cityhood. The law was signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on October 26, 2023.
Apart from income, an aspiring city must meet either of the following requirements such as a contiguous territory of at least 100 square kilometers, as certified by the Land Management Bureau; or a population of at least 150,000, as certified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
These requirements are provided under Section 450 of Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, as amended by Republic Act No. 11683 in 2022 and later by RA 11964 in 2023, which increased the income requirement from ₱400 million to ₱500 million.
Based on the 2024 census, Malasiqui has a population of 144,344 and a land area of 131.37 square kilometers, while Bayambang has 129,506 residents and spans 143.94 square kilometers. Mangaldan has 113,302 residents over 48.47 square kilometers, Lingayen has 108,510 residents within 62.76 square kilometers, and Calasiao has 100,686 residents covering 48.36 square kilometers.
Sta. Barbara has a population of 92,420 and a land area of 61.37 square kilometers, Sual has 38,625 residents across 130.16 square kilometers, and Binalonan has 56,560 residents over 47.57 square kilometers.
Based on income, population, and land area requirements, Bayambang, Sual, and Malasiqui are considered eligible to seek congressional sponsorship for cityhood either this year or next year.
Bayambang posted budgets of ₱573.16 million in 2024 and ₱651.58 million in 2025. Sual recorded ₱520 million in 2024 and ₱560 million in 2025, while Malasiqui registered ₱456.20 million in 2024 and ₱542.60 million in 2025.
Beyond congressional approval, a municipality seeking cityhood must also secure the consent of its residents through a plebiscite, as required by law.
One major advantage of becoming a city is a larger share in the National Tax Allotment (NTA)—formerly known as the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA)—compared to allocations received by the country’s 1,493 municipalities.
Once a city reaches a population of 250,000, it also becomes entitled to its own congressional district in the House of Representatives, similar to Dagupan and San Carlos Cities, subject to the results of upcoming national censuses.
At present, there are 149 cities in the Philippines.
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