The City Council passed the Revised Revenue Code of Bacolod City on third and final reading during its session Friday.
Councilor Al Victor A. Espino, chairman of the council’s committee ona appropriations and finance and committee on ways and means, authored the ordinance. He said the ordinance was supported by eight councilors, namely Councilors Homer Bais, Caesar Distrito, Dindo Ramos, Carl Lopez, Mona Dia Jardin, Bobby Rojas and Em Ang. Councilors Catalino Alisbo, Elmer Sy and Sonya Verdeflor voted against the ordinance, while Councilor Archie Baribar was out of the session hall when they divided the house. Councilor El Cid Familiaran, acting presiding officer, first ruled the ordinance as a lost ordinance when he cited a provision in the Local Government Code that its passage needs a 2/3 vote. However, Bais and Distrito contested this ruling, saying that it only needs a majority vote and that out of the 14 members of council, the vote of eight is already considered a majority vote. There was a heated exchange, especially between Familiaran and Bais, but in the end, the ordinance was considered approved. Bais said a majority vote prevails because this is what the law provides. He also assured the business sector that this ordinance is not going to hurt them financially. He cited that there are fees and taxes in other cities like Cadiz, San Carlos and Talisay, which are higher than those in Bacolod. He said the updating of the rates is within the allowable level. “We have not maximized what was allowed under the law. Our rates were even leveled to a municipality and not as a highly urbanized city,” Bais pointed out. Under the law, the local government is mandated to update its revenue code every five years. It took Bacolod 18 years to update this code, he said. Espino said he was grateful that the ordinance was finally passed, as this will bridge the gap on the shortfall on the city’s internal revenue allotment. Carla N. Canet Sun Star Bacolod
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