How Biñán became a city

Pepe Alas

Feb 2

In the Local Government Code of 1991, a municipality has to meet at least two of three requirements to become a city:

1) a locally generated income of at least ₱100 million (based on constant prices in the year 2000) for the last two consecutive years as certified by the Department of Finance.
2) a population of 150,000 or more as certified by the National Statistics Office, or;
3) a contiguous territory of 100 km2 as certified by the Bureau of Land Management (with contiguity not being a requisite for areas that are on two or more islands).

The last two requirements are alternative in nature. How Biñán exceeded expectations on the first requirement is itself a story worth to be told...

Biñán's entry to industrialization can be traced to the late 1980s. On 18 January 1988, under the new Constitution of the Philippines and the first national elections held after the Marcos dictatorship, Biñenses elected Bayani Alonte as their new mayor. Serving until 1997, Alonte was the first Biñense chief executive to play for high stakes with the local economy. He invited investors and helped paved the way for the construction of the Laguna Technopark, Inc. (LTI) in 1990 and the Laguna International Industrial Park (LIIP) in 1992.

Shared by both Santa Rosa (Barrio Don José) and Biñán (Barrio Malamíg), the 224-hectare LTI caters to light and medium, non-polluting enterprises from both global and local markets. This industrial estate is now home to 270 locator-companies, generating thousands of jobs and contributing billions of dollars in revenue.

The other technopark, the 117-hectare LIIP, is located solely in Biñán, at Barrio Mamplasan to be exact. Like the LTI, the LIIP houses technology-based as well as light and support industries, operating on a full range of facilities that includes power, telecommunications, water, road networks, and a centralized sewerage treatment plant among other amenities. The LIIP has also generated thousands of jobs not only for Biñenses but also to others living around the municipality (San Pedro Tunasán, Santa Rosa, Carmona, etc.). Both technoparks serve as a big boost to Biñán's local economy such that when Mayor Alonte stepped down in 1997, Biñán was already a 1st class municipality.

Because of these developments, Biñán was able to meet all the criteria —especially the financial aspect— for cityhood particularly in the first decade of the 21st century. During the fiscal year of 2007, Biñán was already considered as the richest municipality in the country since it has earned an annual gross income of ₱677 million and a net income of ₱250 million. On the same year, it already had a population of 262,735. Since the landlocked municipality already has a total land area of 43.50 km2, it was only a matter of time before it developed into a city.

When Mayor Alonte's daughter, Dr. Marlyn "Len" Alonte de Naguíat ran for the municipality's chief executive position in 2007 and won, she made history by becoming Biñán's first female mayor. Although barely 33 years old at the time of her inauguration, Dr. Naguíat was already considered a veteran politician. She first served as Municipal Councilor in 1998, winning two consecutive terms. In 2004, she was elected Vice Mayor (Hermis Pérez was then Municipal Mayor). In the 2010 general election, nobody challenged her when she ran for reelection. She thus became the municipality's first mayoralty candidate to run without an opponent.

During her time as Mayor, she launched the Public Private Partnership which sought to further strengthen Biñán's already stable economy, paving the way for its eventual cityhood. At the close of the decade, she closely worked with then Senator Benigno Simeón "Noynoy" Aquino III in filing a bill for the cityhood of Biñán which, upon passing into law, became known as the Charter of the City of Biñán. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, Senator Aquino was instrumental in the enactment of the Charter of the City of Biñán. It was he who had sponsored Republic Act 9740 which sought to convert the municipality into a component city. On 2 February 2010, by virtue of R.A. 9740, Biñán became an independent component city. It was approved by then President Gloria Macapagal de Arroyo. Biñán thus became La Laguna's fourth city (the province currently has six).

R.A. 9740 was one of Aquino's final accomplishments as Senator of the Republic. Just four months after its passing, he was sworn in as the country's 15th President.

Today, Biñán celebrates the 13th anniversary of its incredible journey toward cityhood.

#ArawNgBiñán2023

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