Makati gov’t attains 95% of P17.8b 2023 tax target

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Makati City government on Tuesday announced it has already collected 95 percent of its P17.8 billion revenue target this year.

Mayor Abigail Binay attributed their robust tax collection performance from to resumption of normal operation of trades and the opening of new business establishments in the city.

As of June 30, Makati collected a total of P16,876,811,971.56.

“It is only the middle of the year, yet we have nearly achieved our full-year revenue target, with a 22-percent increase to boot. Clearly, Makati’s economy has bounced back and is stronger than ever,” Binay said.

Citing a report submitted by treasure Jesusa Cuneta, Binay said thebulk of revenues came from business taxes which accounted for P9,446,943,668.74, 44 percent higher than the figure for the same period last year, and covered 95 percent of the P9.9-billion target for the year. The collections also included around P3.7 million garnered through the Makatizen Online Assessment and Payment Portal.

“Most business establishments in the city are now back to operating at full capacity, indicating that we are definitely back in business. We also have more new ventures setting up shops in the city, bringing in more capital investment that boosts the local economy,” Binay said.

She also noted how the city sustained its position as the country’s premier investment destination through good governance, as a result of reforms and innovations undertaken by her administration over the past six years.

“Having achieved greater transparency and efficiency, Makati continues to enjoy strong investor confidence. We also take pride in recently obtaining, for the sixth straight year, an unmodified audit opinion from the Commission on Audit,” she said.

Records at the Business Permit and Licensing Office showed that thecity has registered 2,782 new businesses as of July 19, 2023, with combined capital investment of over P20 billion. In the same period, a total of 35,116 businesses have renewed their business permits and registered total gross sales amounting to P1.65 trillion.

NEW DRIVER’S LICENSE PLASTIC CARDS.

Department of Transportation Sec. Jaime Bautista and newly appointed Land Transportation Office chief Vigor Mendoza II show to reporters samples of newly delivered driver’s license plastic cards during a press conference at the LTO head office in Quezon City. The agency expects immediate delivery of 50,000 plastic cards to address the current shortage of driver’s licenses in the country.

Manny Palmero

Malolos gov’t grants tax relief to property owners

By Orlan Mauricio

MALOLOS City– Good news to residents of this capital city of Bulacan.

Malolos Mayor Christian Natividad has signed City Ordinance No. 35-2023 giving a tax break to real property owners in the city by condoning all penalties and surcharges on unpaid real property tax (RPT) from December 31, 2022 and prior years.

The ordinance, also known as Kapasiyahan Panlungsod Blg. 35-2023 of ‘Tax Amnesty 2023 for Real Property Owners of Malolos’ was authored by city councilor Niño Bautista.

The final committee hearing and deliberation on the tax measure was held last July 7 and was unanimously approved by the city council five days later before it was signed by Mayor Natividad over the weekend. Section 2 of the ordinance specifically

Las Piñas celebrates Waterlily Festival ‘23

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

THIS year’s celebration of the Las Piñas Waterlily Festival reinforces the commitment of Las Piñas residents to value and protect the environment, according to Sen. Cynthia Villar.

Villar, who started the festival in 2005, said theyearly event was not only a celebration or a venue for the city’s most talented performers, but also a recognition of the importance of environmental protection.

“Today, the water lily is no longer a menace or a pest, but a symbol ofingenuity, resilience, and community cooperation. It stands as a testament to our collective commitment to preserve our environment,” said Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change.

Villar lauded the efforts of Las Piñeros in the rehabilitation of the Las Piñas River through the Sagip Ilog Program, an initiative she started when she was Las Piñas congresswoman.

“Water hyacinths or what is commonly known as water lilies were considered as aquatic pests clogging the Las Piñas River, which caused massive flooding in the city,” the senator recalled.

One of the most awaited activities of the festival is the Ms. Waterlily Pageant 2023.

This year’s winners were Francine Anne De Castro of Talon Tres, Ms Waterlily 2023 who received P30,000 cash; Christine Maico Bautista of Brgy. Talon 5,1st runner-up, P20,000 cash, condones all interests, penalties and surcharges of delinquent real property owners of unpaid RPT from Dec. 31, 2022 and prior years and allows taxpayers from August 1 to December 31, 2023 to settle their back taxes without penalties.

“The tax amnesty will give relief especially to real property owners who were unable to settle their annual payments of ‘amilyar’ due to the effects of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic,” Natividad said.

“We already identified the persons responsible for these irregularities and right now we are filing admin and criminal cases against them before the Office of the Ombudsman. We recommended they should be placed on floating status and right now we already deactivated their accounts,” Silo told reporters.

He explained that the five personnel would also be charged for graft and corruption and violation of Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business law before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Silo said 377 applicants who were supposed to get a failing grade still “passed” the psychiatric and psychological examinations.

He said the CSG has already revoked the licenses of the applicants.

“Out of the 377 (applicants), 64 had non-appearance, while the remaining 313 actually failed but their test results were manipulated. This was found through an investigation of our computer system and the help of our IT (information technology) experts. We also secured the testimonies of clients being victimized by this group,” Silo said.