Thursday, April 03, 2008
Lapu-Lapu officials off to Boracay
EXCEPT for Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) Chairperson Reymar Dico, all the members of the Lapu-Lapu City Council will fly to Boracay Island to study how the local government was able to impose a visitor fee on local and foreign tourists without hearing any complaints.
The 11 councilors, including Association of Barangay Councils President Leo Mercado, belong to the three committees—tourism, environment and laws—and will be on a tour from April 9 to 11.
Councilor Damian Gomez, who heads the tourism committee, said the cost of the tour, including the accommodation, is less than P100,000.
“This is an official function, not just suroy-suroy,” Vice Mayor Mario Amores said before the City Council ended its discussion of the measure on the city’s version of environmental and visitor fee.
The proposed environmental and visitor fees are P100 per person.
Tourists will have to pay another P50 if they utilize the services of operators or boats, barges, pump boats or other pleasure crafts, buses and other service provider firms.
Revenues
The city invoked Section 5, Article 10 of the Constitution that gives local governments the power to create its own sources of revenues and to levy taxes, fees and charges, subject to guidelines and limitations provided by Congress.
The strict compliance of the ordinance will be monitored by the Environmental and Visitor’s Fee Task Force, which Mayor Arturo Radaza will organize as soon as the measure is approved. (AIV)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 3, 2008 issue)
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