El Salvador, Misamis Oriental

El Salvador
Component City
Welcome marker in Barangay Molugan Welcome marker in Barangay Molugan
{{#property:P158}} Seal
Nickname(s): "The City of Mercy" or "City of The Saviour" "Christ City of the Philippines"
{{#property:P242}} Map of Misamis Oriental with El Salvador highlighted
Location within the {{#property:P17}}
Coordinates:
Country	[[{{#property:P17}}]]
Region	Northern Mindanao (Region X)
Province	[[{{#property:P131}}]]
Legislative district	2nd District of Misamis Oriental
Incorporated	June 15, 1948
Cityhood	June 27, 2007
Barangays	15
Government
• Mayor	Alfredo Q. Tan (LP)
• Vice Mayor	Edgar S. Lignes (LP)
Area
• Total	106.15 km2 (40.98 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	44,848
• Density	420/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
• Languages	Cebuano, Tagalog, English
Demonym(s)	Salvadoreños, Salbadorenyos
Time zone	PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code	{{#property:P281}}
Dialing code	{{#property:P473}}
Income class	6th class

El Salvador (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa El Salvador; Filipino: Lungsod ng El Salvador) is a city in the province of Misamis Oriental on the island of Mindanao, southern part of the Philippines. According to the 2010 Philippine census, it has a population of 44,848. The city serves as a pilgrimage site for Divine Mercy devotees, that is why it is also called "The City of Mercy", "City of The Saviour", and "The Christ City of the Philippines".

Geography

El Salvador is located in the Province of Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao (Region X). It is bordered by the Municipality of Alubijid to the west, Opol to the east and Manticao and Naawan to the south. On the north, lies Macajalar Bay of the Bohol Sea.

Barangays

Administratively, El Salvador is subdivided into 15 barangays. One forms the center of the city (poblacion) whereas the other 14 are in the outlying areas. Some of them are even several kilometers away from the center of the city.

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History

El Salvador was created from the barrios of El Salvador and Molugan with their sitios known as Sala, Sambulawan, Sinaloc, Lagtang, Talaba, Kalabaylabay and Hinigdaan, formerly part of Cagayan de Misamis, Misamis Oriental, in 1948.

Cityhood

During the 11th Congress (1998–2001), Congress enacted into law 33 bills converting 33 municipalities into cities. However, Congress did not act on a further 24 bills converting 24 other municipalities into cities.

During the 12th Congress (2001–2004), Congress enacted into law Republic Act No. 9009 (RA 9009), which took effect on 30 June 2001. RA 9009 amended Section 450 of the Local Government Code by increasing the annual income requirement for conversion of a municipality into a city from ₱20 million to ₱100 million. The rationale for the amendment was to restrain, in the words of Senator Aquilino Pimentel, "the mad rush" of municipalities to convert into cities solely to secure a larger share in the Internal Revenue Allotment despite the fact that they are incapable of fiscal independence.

After RA 9009 went into effect, the House of Representatives of the 12th Congress adopted Joint Resolution No. 29, which sought to exempt from the ₱100 million income requirement in RA 9009 the 24 municipalities whose cityhood bills were not approved in the 11th Congress. However, the 12th Congress ended without the Senate having approved Joint Resolution No. 29.

During the 13th Congress (2004–2007), the House of Representatives re-adopted former Joint Resolution No. 29 as Joint Resolution No. 1 and forwarded it to the Senate for approval. However, the Senate again failed to approve the Joint Resolution. Following the suggestion of Senator Aquilino Pimentel (Senate President), 16 municipalities filed, through their respective sponsors, individual cityhood bills. The 16 cityhood bills each contained a common provision exempting it from the ₱100 million income requirement of RA 9009 –

"Exemption from Republic Act No. 9009. — The City of x x x shall be exempted from the income requirement prescribed under Republic Act No. 9009."

On 22 December 2006, the House of Representatives approved the cityhood bills. The Senate also approved the cityhood bills in February 2007, except that of Naga, Cebu which was passed on 7 June 2007. These cityhood bills lapsed into law on various dates from March to July 2007 after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo failed to sign them.

The point of law at issue in 2007 was whether there had been a breach of Section 10, Article X of the 1987 Constitution, which provides –

No province, city, municipality, or barangay shall be created, divided, merged, abolished or its boundary substantially altered, except in accordance with the criteria established in the local government code and subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly affected.

– and in each case the established criteria were far from met.

In November 2008, El salvador and 15 other cities lost their cityhood after the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines, and declared unconstitutional the cityhood law (RA ) which had allowed the town to acquire its city status. The Supreme Court ruled that they did not pass the requirements for cityhood.

On 10 December 2008, the 16 cities affected acting together filed a motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court. More than a year later, on 22 December 2009, acting on said appeal, the Court reversed its earlier ruling as it ruled that "at the end of the day, the passage of the amendatory law" (regarding the criteria for cityhood as set by Congress) "is no different from the enactment of a law, i.e., the cityhood laws specifically exempting a particular political subdivision from the criteria earlier mentioned. Congress, in enacting the exempting law/s, effectively decreased the already codified indicators." Accordingly cityhood status was restored.

But on 27 August 2010, the 16 cities lost their city status again, after the Supreme Court voted 7-6, with two justices not taking part, to reinstate the 2008 decision declaring as "unconstitutional" the Republic Acts that converted the 16 municipalities into cities. A previous law required towns aspiring to become cities to earn at least ₱100 million annually, which none of the 16 did.

On 15 February 2011, the Supreme Court made another volte-face and upheld for the third time the cityhood of 16 towns in the Philippines.

Finally, on 12 April 2011, the Supreme Court, in an en banc ruling delivered in Baguio City, affirmed the finality of the constitutionality of the 16 cityhood laws by resolving that:

We should not ever lose sight of the fact that the 16 cities covered by the Cityhood Laws not only had conversion bills pending during the 11th Congress, but have also complied with the requirements of the LGC prescribed prior to its amendment by R.A. No. 9009. Congress undeniably gave these cities all the considerations that justice and fair play demanded. Hence, this Court should do no less by stamping its imprimatur to the clear and unmistakable legislative intent and by duly recognizing the certain collective wisdom of Congress. WHEREFORE, the Ad Cautelam Motion for Reconsideration (of the Decision dated 15 February 2011) is denied with finality.

On 28 June 2011 the Supreme Court directed the Clerk of Court to issue the entry of judgment on the cityhood case of 16 municipalities. This entry of judgment ended the cityhood battle of the 16 cities.

Demographics

Population census of El Salvador
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1990	26,721	—
1995	31,500	+3.13%
2000	34,650	+2.06%
2007	41,905	+2.66%
2010	44,848	+2.50%
Source: National Statistics Office

Economy

El Salvador hosts several companies, plants and factories west of Misamis Oriental. These are Asia Brewery, Tanduay Rhum, Virgin Cola Bottling Plant (Visayas and Mindanao region distributor), Highland Fresh Daily Products, Monark Equipment, The Aoso, Zest-O Corporation, WL Foods Corporation, Universal Robina Corporation and Union Plywood Corporation.

With regards to financial institutions, Rural Bank of El Salvador and lending institutions such as FICCO, Oro Coop, M Lhuillier and others are accessible at office hours in this place.

Attractions

File:Divine Mercy Christ - 1.JPG

Divine Mercy Shrine, located in PSB-Ulaliman El Salvador.

• Divine Mercy Shrine (Misamis Oriental), located in the Divine Mercy Hills, PSB-Ulaliman which is overlooking Macajalar Bay. The shrine has a 50-foot statue of the Divine Mercy Christ, the biggest in Asia. It serves as a pilgrimage site for the Divine Mercy devotees. As a pilgrimage and sacred site, visitors are not allowed to wear shorts and other revealing clothing. Those who do so will be forced to cover themselves with a blue cloth provided by the shrine administrators.
• Burias Island, located just a few kilometers off the coast of Molugan or about 3 km west of the town of Opol.
• El Salvador Night Café and Market, is set up on Friday night at Barangay Poblacion. Tagnipa-ons and visitors gather to have barbecue, enjoy the live band music, beer, and also the great bargains from the nearby Night Market
• Our Lady of Snows Parish Church, newly constructed church located within the city.
• Abaga & Sikiop Falls, Located in barangay San Francisco de Asis.
• Tag-ilas Falls, Located in barangay Hinigdaan.
• Tuburan Spring, Located in both barangays Taytay and Poblacion .
• House of Pasalubong, Located in Zone 2, Brgy. Poblacion

Culture

Feast day:

• August 5 (Our Lady of Snows)
• August 16 (Saint Roch (aka San Roque))

Charter day:

• June 27

Infrastructure

Transportation

El Salvador city can be reached via plane through Laguindingan Airport, then about less than 10 minutes bus ride east. Like any other place the national highway snakes through it. Visitors and locals can go around the city by just hailing a "sikad-sikad" or motorboat, "jeepneys" or motorcycles to the outlying barangays.

Communication

PLDT and MISORTEL are among the major phone lines, also transmitters or "cell sites" for all major "telecom" providers like Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular are serviceable in this city. Internet access is also available. Internet cafes can be found in various places in within the city. Broadband service is also available.

Education

File:Molugan High School.jpg

Molugan National High School, located in Barangay Molugan

Private schools:

• St. Joseph Academy of El Salvador
• Miraculous Medal Academy
• The New El Salvador Colleges
• Stellulae Mariae School

Public schools:

• Elementary
  • El Salvador City Central School
  • Amoros Elementary School
  • Bolisong Elementary School
  • Pedro Sa. Baculio Elementary School
  • San Francisco de Asis Elementary School
  • Cogon Elementary School
  • Himaya Elementary School
  • Hinigdaan Elementary School
  • Kalabaylabay Elementary School
  • Molugan Central School
  • Kibonbon Elementary School
  • Sambulawan Elementary School
  • Sinaloc Elementary School
  • Taytay Elementary School
  • Ulaliman Elementary School
• Secondary
  • Cogon National High School
  • Hinigdaan National High School
  • Molugan National High School

Government offices

National Offices

Agricultural Training Institute (ATI)

• Located in Zone-1,Poblacion, El Salvador City.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 2nd DEO Misamis Oriental.

• Located in Tabulig Street, Poblacion, El Salvador City.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration(PAG-ASA)

• Located in Molugan, El Salvador City.

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)

• Located in Zone-1, Poblacion, El Salvador City.

Philippine National Police (PNP)

• Located in Zone-1, Poblacion, El Salvador City

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)

• Located in Zone-1, Poblacion, El Salvador City

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)

• Located in Zone-1, Poblacion, El Salvador City

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)

• Located in Zone-1, Poblacion, El Salvador City

Commission on Election (COMELEC)

• Located in Zone-1, Poblacion, El Salvador City

Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)

• Located in Zone-1, Poblacion, El Salvador City

External links

• Official website of the City Government of El Salvador
• Philippine Standard Geographic Code
• Philippine Census Information
• Local Governance Performance Management System