One of the most difficult functions of government operations at any level is the realization of an efficient tax collection. Some bigtime business establishment owners, and some high- level income professionals to include several others use technicalities to evade paying the right taxes.
Of course to some of them, evading taxes is reasonable and justified when they see no impressive laudable projects and other needed improvements to benefit constituents in their areas; and the other one which is nauseating is the prevalence of graft and corruption in government. There are as well many of them who are simply unpatriotic who only think about their own welfare, that paying taxes to them is just bothersome.
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Tacloban, a Highly Urbanized City however is experiencing these days a new positive twist, far different from what some other local governments and highly urbanized cities experience on the issue of tax collection.
Atty. Irene Chui, city Mayor’s alter ego and a trusted City Administrator revealed that there is already noticeable improvements in the tax collection efforts in the city. She attributed the impressive tax collection avtivity to good governance that Tacloban especially under Mayor Cristina, is undergoing. It is an indication she says, that taxpayers in the city are impressed by this good governance so they are now paying taxes regularly, correrctly and willingly.
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Tacloban is a recipient of an award – the Most improved Highly Urbanized City of the Philippines, given last August 16, 2017 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). The award was handed to Mayor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez in the presence of City Administrator Atty. Irene Chui and other city government officials present.
The occasion was the 5th Annual Regional Competitivness Summit. DILG Undersecretary Austero Panadero, Antonio Luz, National Competitive Co-Chairman and Ruth Castelo DTI undersecretary handed the award to Mayor Critina G.Romualdez.
Of the 34 HUCs, Tacloban ranked No. 16. But let us take note of what happened before; that in the 2016 evaluation of the same competition, Tacloban was No. 34 or an embarassing tail ender. A lot of improvements have happened since then therefore.
Factors employed in the choice of the most improved HUCs in the country include, economic dynanism, Government efficiency, Infrastructure and Resiliency.
Tacloban City Administrator Chui identified and noted improvements in the city government operations that led to receiving the award. Classrooms have significantly been repaired and improved after most of them were destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda. Local economy has risen to a certain higher level, that is now generating production and employment opportunities especially those who have less in life Tacloban city residents – the poor among us.
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Go around Tacloban and observe business establishments sprouting city-wide to include new banks being established.
Banco de Oro (BDO) in Tacloban is one of the recognized booming private banks in the Far East. It has already opened and expanded branches within the city limits – at Rizal Avenue, Justice Romualdez St., inside SM Mega Mall and the One Network Bank also of BDO’s at Del Pilar street in Tacloban city.
Road networks is undergoing construction to connect all interior barangays for the needed residents access to the city.
Over1,000 Senior Citizens, the less privilleged ones are regular recipient-beneficiaries of P1,500 from the city’s social funds.
Tacloban became a Highly Urbanized City in 2008 under the initiation of Mayor Alfredo “Bejo” Romualdez, father-in-law of Mayor Cristina. As an HUC, Tacloban has ceased to be part of the administrative jurisdiction of the provincial government of Leyte. It now relates directly to the national government.
With this happy turn of events Mayor Cristina and the city officials certainly will be inspired to do more innovations and improvements for betterment and Taclobanons can now with confidence see a bright and prosperous future.

As an integral piece in the “Philippine Pacification Strategy” of the United States of America, the Philippine Commission passed Act # 74 on January 21, 1901, which introduced the public school system in the country through the Department of Public Instructions.
To compensate for the shortage of educators, American teachers were brought in from the United States on board the transports, U.S.S. Thomas and Sheridan.
The “Thomasites,” as they came to be known owing to the fact that majority of them arrived on the U.S.S. Thomas, quickly fanned all over the country, setting up schools in far-flung localities.
Thomasite couple Harry and Mary Cole of Michigan arrived and set up the first public school in Palo in 1901 at Barangay Buri. It was housed in a residential place of the Guasa Clan until their departure in 1902.
As the number of pupils increased, the school gradually relocated to the site where Palo I Central School is now located.
A bill sponsored by assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija was enacted into law as Act #1801 known as the “Gabaldon Law” by Philippine Assembly on October 16-17, 1907.
It provided an initial appropriation of P 1million between 1907 – 1915 for the construction of schoolhouses of strong materials called “Gabaldon Schoolhouses” or simply “Gabaldons” in in barrios with guaranteed daily attendance of not less than 60 pupils.
In 1912, at the behest of the Bureau of Public Works and the Bureau of Public Schools, Yale University alumnus, William Parsons, came up with 15 standardized plans/designs of the Gabaldons (earlier designs succumbed to the earthquake, typhoons, and termites) with their corresponding cost estimates.
The Gabaldon building in Palo 1 Central School was constructed following the specifications of standard plan # 6 and was completed in 1914 at a cost of P 10,500. The structure was elevated above ground with four 4m x 9m classrooms on both ends, a 9m x 14m assembly area at the center and a 3m x 14m front porch. Its hip roof style and swinging ‘capiz’ window panels were in deference to our indigenous “bahay kubo.”
For almost a century, the Gabaldon provided for the basic educational and instructional needs of the good people of Palo, producing a countless number of graduates who excelled in their chosen fields with some of them gaining national limelight.
This was slightly interrupted at the outbreak of World War II when it was occupied as a garrison by the Japanese Imperial Forces from July 1942 until its “Liberation” on October 20, 1944.
Her resilience and sturdiness that enabled her to withstand the ravages of war and battery of the violent forces of nature such as earthquakes, floods and typhoons proved no match to the diminutive termites which made it imperative for her to undergo several “face-liftings”.
At the turn of the millennium, District Supervisor Norma Yee had the assembly area repaired and renovated with the addition of a miniature stage and a mural backdrop. In 2012, District Supervisor Crisanto Daga implemented repairs on the right wing after its entire wooden flooring collapsed.
November 8, 2013, put her at risk of being mothballed like her predecessors and contemporaries before her when supertyphoon’ Yolanda’ totally ripped off her entire roofing and rendered it unusable.
For three long years, it was anxiously waiting for whatever fate may befall on her. Finally, in the latter part of 2016, the Education Facilities Division of the Department of Education commenced repairs and restoration which was completed in June of 2017.
Hopefully, this newly restored Gabaldon will create in us a sense of gratitude and profound appreciation for it and the people who set the pillars of nurturing the minds, hearts and noble aspirations of the Palon – on and instil a sense of pride of the patrimony, rich cultural heritage, and history our “Mother Town Beloved.”
About the author: Fidelino M. Josol, 49, is a member of the Philippines National Historical Society and the National Historical Institute. Currently, he is a secondary school Social Science teacher at Palo National High School in Palo, Leyte.