Section 4Sec./Art. 4

General Powers of the City. The City shall have a common seal, and may alter the same at pleasure. It shall exercise the powers to levy taxes, close and open roads, streets, alleys, parks or squares subject to the provisions of the Constitution and existing laws. It may take, purchase, receive, hold, lease, convey, and dispose of real and personal property for the general interest of the City, condemn private property for public use, contract and be contracted with, sue and be sued, prosecute and defend to final judgment and execution suits wherein said city is a party. It shall also have the power to:

(a) Own or operate railroads, tramways and other kinds of land transportation, vessels and pipelines, power projects, waterworks system, hotels, restaurants, terminals, warehouses, docking and harbor facilities, and construct and operate toll viaducts, toll bridges, toll tunnels, and other toll facilities;

(b) Construct, maintain and operate such systems of sanitary sewerage and water disposal systems as may be necessary for the proper sanitation of its areas of operation; to charge and collect such sums for construction and rates for this service as may be determined by the sangguniang panlungsod to be equitable and just; and to process waste materials obtained in the sewers for fertilizing purposes;

(c) Construct work across, or otherwise, any lake, lagoon, stream, watercourse, canal, ditch, flume, street, avenue, highway or railway of private or public ownership, as the location of said works may require: Provided, That said works be constructed in such a manner as not to endanger life or property or in a manner not to impair unnecessarily their usefulness;

(d) Reclaim land, including foreshores and submerged areas by dredging, filling or other means, or acquire reclaimed land; and

(e) Develop, improve, acquire, administer, deal in, subdivide, dispose of, lease and sell any and all kinds of lands, buildings, estates and other forms of real property, owned, managed, controlled or operated by the government. It shall exercise all the powers as are granted to corporations and/or hereinafter conferred.