THE political tempest is brewing hot.

Two ‘mistahs’ or classmates of Governor Amado Espino Jr. in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) fired their first political salvo by denouncing the 300 percent increase in the real property assessment effected under his administration.

Retired Generals Arturo Lomibao and Marcelo Navarro Jr. said the increase, which will fully be implemented in 2013, is too much a burden to the people, especially the poor farmers, small landowners and businessmen.

Both Lomibao and Navarro, who are members of Class 1972 of the PMA, expressed their criticism during the KBP chapter forum last week.

In defense of the measure, re-electionist Board Member Von Mark Mendoza clarified that the ordinance was adopted in compliance with the mandate of the Local Government Code, which requires a review and update of Real Estate Property Tax Assessment (RPTA) every three years.

Mendoza said Pangasinan had been one of the few provinces nationwide that failed to update their RPTAs over the years since the Local Government Code took effect in 1990.

“Had we not passed the ordinance, the province could have been reprimanded or charged for violation of the law,” he said.

According to Mendoza, the SP measure was “humanized” by condoning some penalties, noting that a privilege of 20 percent discount will be given to taxpayers who pay in full their annual dues on the first quarter of next year.

In the same forum, Espino’s rival for governor in the May 2013 elections, Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza, also denounced the tax increase.

Braganza tagged the ordinance on the tax increase as  “confiscatory and onerous.”

“If they (Braganza and Lomibao) were in the capitol, they would have done the same,” Mendoza chided the opposition’s standard bearers.

Lomibao, Braganza’s running mate for vice governor, added, “What I understand is that is that the present tax is being increased by 300 per cent, which is too much.”

The former police director-general vowed that should he win as vice governor, which will automatically grant him the post of chair of the provincial board, he will push for a review of the ordinance containing the tax increase.

“And if the view of the provincial board members then would be for the scrapping of the ordinance, then so be it,” he said.

In Alaminos city, he cited, where he and Braganza discussed the party’s agenda for “peace and development”, local residents in 25 barangays aired their grievances against the new tax rates.

NAVARRO

Navarro, meanwhile, who is now running for his second term as mayor of Bani, said the people in his town were surprised and dismayed when they learned that the real property tax has been increased by 300 per cent.

He hinted that the public consultation process before passing the ordinance may not have been sufficient.

Navarro also inferred that the increase is intended to cover the budget deficit of the province and to pay for ballooning loans.

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