TACLOBAN CITY- An 8% increase in revenue collection was noted by the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) during the first week of business and real property tax payment and renewal.
City Treasurer Zosima Cordaño said this is significant since the city government under Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez is aggressively inviting more business locators to the city.
In the past five days, the CTO has already collected more than P 11 million, compared to P10, 850.664.55 collected from the same period last year or an increase of about P883,000.
It has so far issued 179 business permits and renewed 412 business applications.
According Cordaño, local business operators will have until January 20, 2017 to renew their business permits and licenses per City Revenue Ordinance 99-58 or be penalized with a 25 percent surcharge and a 2 percent interest per month.
She encouraged real property owners to avail of the 20 percent maximum discount by settling their tax payments on or before January 31.
The city treasurer disclosed that, as part of the revenue generation initiatives of Mayor Romualdez, they have come up with innovations that would give taxpayers more ease in paying their taxes at the Kanhuraw Business Center; this is aside from the extended payment hours which last until 8 pm.
Cordaño said assessment and payment of real property taxes can now be had in one location, while business renewal have been streamlined into three steps.
Queuing taxpayers are given forms to fill out in advance so when the time comes for them to pay at the cashier, they just have to give the paper to the teller.
Five tellers are serving taxpayers at the business center while additional collectors have been drafted to bring ease to taxpayers.
Bookkeepers are given a different schedule to process their payments so as not to compete with walk-in clients.
The CTO hopes to meet its revenue collection target of more than P1 billion for 2017.Last year, it posted a 97% collection rate.
(HENRY JAMES G. ROCA/CIO)

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The regional office of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) asked government law enforcers to assist them in the enforcement of a three-month coconut logging.
Citing manpower constraints, PCA Regional Manager Joel Pilapil admitted that they are incapable of imposing the cutting ban.
“Our field personnel are trained on agricultural production and not running after those behind illegal activities,” Pilapil said.
Key PCA officials in the region will meet with the Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, among others, to seek their assistance in the implementation of the nationwide ban.
“We really have to impose the ban because loggers are still taking advantage of debris clearing activities even if it’s already three years after supertyphoon “Yolanda”,” Pilapil said.
The moratorium issued by PCA Administrator Billy Andal is effective for three months starting Jan. 3, 2017, while there is an on-going review of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act (RA) 10510593.
RA 10510593 amends RA 8048, which aims to streamline the processes related to permits and clearances.
The PCA Governing Board pushed for a logging moratorium considering the weak enforcement of RA 8048 or the Coconut Preservation Act of 1995.
The national moratorium covers all areas in the country except in Basilan province and Isabela City due to coconut scale insect or cocolisap infestation.
Eastern Visayas used to be the top coconut producing region in the country before Yolanda struck on November 8, 2013.
The region, with an annual average yield of 1 billion nuts, reported 33.82 million damaged trees by Yolanda, almost half of the previously 72.75 million thriving coconut trees. (SARWELL Q. MENIANO)

TACLOBAN CITY- Promoting the region’s tourism potential as a whole is one of the programs that Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla wants to implement this year.
And as part of his plan, a tourism center will be constructed at the Government Center located in Barangay Baras, Palo, where tourist destinations of the region will be showcased and promoted.
“Those who will visit it will just check the place where they can go in the region and avail of the packages offered. We may not be as popular like other places in the Philippines but we wanted to make a statement that our services here are comparable to what they offer,” he said.
“Tourism increases productivity and helps develop economy to become more vibrant (and) support our anti-poverty program,” the governor added.
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan, meantime, said that she is glad that officials of her province realized the tourism potential of their respective areas.
But the aggressiveness of the local government units to promote their areas for tourism must be carefully planned and gaps should be addressed first to ensure sustainable tourism, she said.
The governor acknowledges the problems on accessibility and security as among the factors that might affect in promoting Samar as a tourism destination.
“We need to address these problems including other needs of our tourists like on food supply and souvenir items,” Gov. Tan said.
Tan added that this year, the provincial government is preparing additional areas in the province to be included of its tourism campaign dubbed as Spark Samar launched in 2015.
For this year, the provincial government will include the towns of Calbiga, Jiabong, San Jorge and Calbayog City as part of the Spark Samar campaign.
The towns of Basey, Marabut, Sta Rita, Pinabacdao and Paranas were the first areas in the province included of its Spark Samar campaign.
“We cannot just go for marketing if the place is not yet ready. Our efforts will just be a waste if we will not succeed,” Gov. Tan stressed.
The regional Department of Tourism targets a double digit increase of its tourism arrivals in 2016 for this year.
Last year, more than 1 million tourists visited the region contributing to its economy of P9 billion. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY- Rep. Victoria Isabel of the An Waray party-list group said that she is in favor for the reimposition of death penalty in the country.
She, however, clarified that the death penalty should only be imposed to drug-related cases.
Noel said that the entire members of the House of Representatives are set to vote on Monday (Jan.23) whether the death penalty covering drug-related and other heinous crimes should be reimposed.
“I am only for the imposition of the death penalty to drug-related crimes. However, the (justice) committee approved that death penalty should also be imposed to other high crimes and not just on drug-related crimes,” Noel said.
The proposal will be deliberated at the plenary wherein all members of the Lower House will vote for or against it.
The death penalty was suspended during the incumbency of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who is now serving as a congresswoman of Pampanga.
Asked if she and other solons coming from the region have reached a consensus on the matter, Noel said that they have none.
“We don’t have any single stand on the matter,” she said.
Noel also said that she has not been approached by any member of the Catholic Church which is leading against the reimposition of the death penalty in the country which is a Catholic-dominated nation.
With the reimposition of the death penalty, the An Waray party-list solon believes that it could serve as a strong deterrent against those who appears to commit heinous crimes, including on illegal drugs. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA, JOEY A. GABIETA)