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KIDAPAWAN CITY: The city government here is bent on imposing
austerity measures to ensure the smooth delivery of basic services
to city residents despite a cut in its internal revenue allotment
(IRA) this year, reported the Philippine News Agency.
The cut, estimated at P37 million, was brought
about by the conversion last year of some 17 municipalities to
component cities across the country.
This as City Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco has joined
and supported the campaign of the League of Cities in the
Philippines (LCP) to address the IRA cut.
The LCP has filed before the Supreme Court a
motion for injunction to stop the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) from releasing additional IRA to the newly created
cities.
Since last year, the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) has given the LCP and its 120-member cities a
notice of the IRA cut.
The national government has allotted P210
billion for the cities’ IRA this year.
As a result of the conversion, this city, for
instance, would only receive an IRA of P5 million or a cut of some
P36.5 million from its IRA of P42 million this year.
To make up for its losses, the city government
has implemented this year, despite strong opposition from the local
business sector, the Revenue Code that has been passed but shelved
years ago.
The city government is expected to earn about
P10 to P20 million from the increase in local revenues.
Gantuangco defended the implementation of the
new revenue code since the IRA cut hampered the city’s
implementation of infrastructure projects and delivery of basic
social services.
As earlier reported, LCP officials will meet in
Malacañang to discuss with the President the cut in their IRA share
with the entry of 15 new cities this year.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, chairman of
the LCP together with Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos, the group
president, will bring before the President their position not to
release the IRA share of the new cities.
Treñas said the city that suffers the highest
cut is Puerto Princesa in Palawan with more than P100 million
followed by Davao and Zamboanga cities with more or less P70 million
each.
Iloilo City expects a P36-million slash from the
supposed P39-million increase from its IRA share this year.
Treñas added that up to now, their petition
seeking for a temporary restraining order for the conversion of the
14 municipalities to cities is still pending at the Supreme Court.
He added that the LCP does not oppose the
conversion of San Juan because it is very much qualified but the
other municipalities are not.
The new cities besides San Juan in Metro Manila
are Baybay, Leyte; Tayabas, Quezon; Borongan, Eastern Samar; Bayugan
and Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte; Bogo and Carcar, Cebu;
Catbalogan, Samar; Tandag, Surigao del Sur; Lamitan, Basilan; El
Salvador, Misamis Oriental; Mati, Davao Oriental; Batac, Ilocos
Norte; and Tabuk, Kalinga.
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