Sangil: Let us talk about money

NOTHING can run without money. Associations, families and governments of course are supported by funds. How is it sourced is the crux of the matter. The three cities slicing the province of Pampanga, Mabalacat, Angeles and San Fernando are the richest communities. They have enough revenues. Lucky is Mabalacat City Mayor Cris "Born again" Garbo. He gets the bigger slice in the revenue pie provided by locators of nearby Clark Freeport. It is in the law that locators inside the freeport shell out two percent of their gross income earned (GIE) and divided among six beneficiaries, and that will include Porac, and the towns of Tarlac namely Bamban and Capas. The formula on how to divide it isn't really cast in stone, so to speak. Is it equitably or equally? Let the Clark Development Corporation officials together with the mayors should tackle this issue.

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Talking about revenues, I wish to recall my past stints, first from 1988 to 1992, and again in 1995 to 1998 and the last stint was 2013 to 2016 as member of the Angeles City Council. I was dead serious in crunching numbers, studying carefully some flaws on the submitted executive budget and proposed cuts where excesses are suppose to be trimmed. And during my time with CDC, I learned a lot about numbers from the late Rizalino Navarro, our chairman then and was former Department of Trade Secretary during the administration of President Fidel Ramos. And from our chief CDC President Noel Manankil, who was the chief financial officer when I was a member of the board.

It is my firm belief that we shouldn't trivialize taxpayers' money, and that there is an acute need for a transparent discussion on how the local governments intend to collect from its constituents and how tax money will cascade to the benefit of each one. I believe that not all those two percent based on gross revenues of the thousands of locators are really accounted for. Case in point: How much gross revenues in a year all these Hotel casinos, manufacturers like L and T, PSPC and hundreds more others reported last year? Isn't it a good question? Is it wrong to be curious? Is there enough transparency here? How much money really is being collected annually? More questions can be profounded.

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TIDBITS: Our cabalen Philippine National Police (PNP) General Oca Albayalde is in deep shit, because of that event in 2013 when he was still the provincial director of the Pampanga Police Command. My friend retired General Orly Macaspac shared us his thoughts in our fellowship at Monday Club. Macaspac, who once served as director of the Southern Police District Command and presidential adviser on police affairs during Macapagal Arroyo's time, said Oca committed many lapses. There must be a thorough vetting process in the selection of a PNP chief. If it was done on Albayalde, he might not have made it...I strongly believe that President Duterte just keep Salvador Panelo as head of Malacanang legal office and shop for a new spokesman or spokespersons. But not Andanar. One who is pleasant and have more gray matters between the ears, Mr. President.

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