The municipality of Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte province. (davaotoday.com file photo by Mart D. Sambalud)
STO. TOMAS, Davao del Norte – Various groups have urged mayoral candidates in Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte to present their agenda on peace and order and tax reforms.
Benjamin Origin, district deputy of the Knights of Columbus-San Miguel Assembly, said that mayoral bets should bare and explain their political agenda on what he branded as “pressing issues” of Sto. Tomas town.
“The election is fast approaching and until now we have not heard their concrete plans on peace and order,” said Benjamin Origin, district deputy of the Knights of Columbus-San Miguel Assembly told Davao Today in a phone interview Sunday, April 17.
On the other hand, the 1,000-member Sto. Tomas Chamber of Commerce and Industry Incorporated (STCCI), dared local bets to speak on the issue of tax reforms.
“Tax reform is a campaign issue,” said Rene Bongabong, president of the town’s business group.
Peace and order
For a church-based organization, Origin explains that “peace and order is an issue that must be seriously taken by those who are seeking the town’s highest elective position.”
“Security is everyone’s concern. We believe that in order to achieve progress incoming leaders should have strong political will and come up with a clear platform on how they will do about the peace and order of the town,” he said.
Origin, a former Purok leader, has noted that criminality in Sto. Tomas town has always been a perennial problem.
He claims that gangsterism, burglary, drug addiction are still prevalent and urged local bets to take decisive steps to deter crimes.
“In order to solve all these problems, our incoming leaders in the local government should have a strong political will. We challenge them to show concrete plan and not just rhetoric,” Origin said.
Tax reforms still unresolved, says biz group
For its part, the STCCI said they are dismayed that the issue of taxation has not been a priority agenda of several local executive aspirants.
“The business sector has been pushing for tax reforms since 2014 and until now it remains unresolved,” said Bongabong.
“If they want to make this town conducive for business then they should take this issue with urgency,” he said.
The call for tax reform was triggered when the local government of Sto. Tomas on June 27, 2012 passed Municipal Tax Ordinance No. 001-2012, a law enacting the town’s amended Revenue Code 2012. The 151-page tax ordinance imposes fees on levy, assessment, collection of taxes, fees, charges, among others.
STCCI has criticized the imposition of “high fees” disguised as “goodwill” amounting from a bracket of P100,000 to P300,000. The occupancy fees, according to the group, were charged to both the original and new occupant at the Sto. Tomas public market.
The imposition of exorbitant fees has sparked opposition and uproar from the business sectors especially from the town’s Market Vendors Association.
On February 25, 2014, STCCI sent a clarificatory letter addressed to Sto. Tomas Mayor Benigno Andamon, who later on April 21, 2014, responded that their query were calendared for discussion at the Sangguniang Bayan.
The chief executive, however, has not responded to their request, said the group.
“Even the members of the Sangguniang Bayan were also aware of the issue that we are trying to raise with them,” Bongabong said.
Apart from writing to Andamon, the business group has also wrote a letter to Councilor Dario G. Romano, who heads the Committee on Economic Enterprise, Market and Slaughter House. Both attempts bore no fruits.
“We asked the town’s local legislative body to review and revisit all the provisions of the ordinance to check whether it is in harmony and compliant to the existing national tax laws. But until now there’s no action from them,” Bongabong said.
Sto. Tomas and the elections
Sto. Tomas is Davao del Norte’s second political district. It is inhabited by more than 109, 264 people, according to the 2010 census.
On the northern part, the town is bounded by the municipalities of Kapalong and Talaingod; on the east by Asuncion; on the west by Davao City, and on the south by Braulio E. Dujali town, respectively.
Despite claims of economic growth, people in this town are clamoring for a “transformative governance” as poverty, peace and order, sluggish business climate, remain an issue until this time.
STCCI argued that some provisions of the tax ordinance are “unconstitutional.” The group claims that the occupancy fees contained in the local tax law were “excessive and its imposition has no legal basis.”
Aside from these, the business group also questioned the word “goodwill,” a term that is nowhere to be found in the voluminous page of the local tax ordinance.
“They are imposing fees yet the definition of the term [goodwill] is undefined. In a legalistic view, that is a serious flaw and it renders the whole ordinance invalid or inoperative,” Bongabong stressed.
Local bets vowed: we will support STCCI endorsement
Earlier, STCCI has endorsed local bets who, according to them, vowed to work closely with the business sector to push tax reforms. The group endorsed the mayoralty bid of former Davao del Norte provincial board member Daniel A. Lu and three other local bets in the coming elections.
Bongabong has credited Lu for his active support in several programs initiated by the business sector. “He [Lu] has been very supportive to whatever programs initiated by the group. We firmly believe that his leadership as the Sto. Tomas local chief executive will make this town a more attractive and dynamic investment destination.”
Apart from Lu, the group is also endorsing re-electionist Eduardo Llorente of Kusog Baryohanon, independent candidate Joel Bayanay and PDP-Laban Richard Languido. The three are vying for a seat at the local council.
Bongabong has expressed hopes that the local candidates they endorsed will be their partners that could advance the interests of the business sector. “One of their advocacies is tax reform and we are happy to hear that they are willing to work with us to push a legislative measure that will reduce taxes.”
Lu is running as an independent candidate for this year’s election. In 2013, he ran for the same position but was defeated to Benigno A. Andamon, the incumbent mayor of Sto. Tomas town. His candidacy then was bankrolled by the Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (Tadeco), a banana plantation owned by political kingpin Floirendo in Davao del Norte.
STCCI’s endorsement came when the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), the public-private sector task force on the country’s competitiveness, urged business groups to identify outdated laws and regulations that need to be repealed.
“There are laws which need to be repealed and we are mulling to raise our issues and work with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) to strengthen our group and possibly lobby our concerns,” Bongabong said. (davaotoday.com)
