Dagupan now eyes “baratillos” as fund source
DESPERATE FOR CASH
THE cash-strapped Dagupan City government is desperate to get hold of funds to cover the city’s projected P29.68 collection shortfall that will end in a huge deficit at the end of the year.
Mayor Belen Fernandez is now looking at “baratillos” organized by the city during fiestas and the Bangus Festival as a regular source of revenues for the city.
In this regard, the mayor has asked the SP to pass an ordinance providing for the holding of baratillos that includes the proper guidelines to be observed.
The baratillo has been a regular activity of the city fiesta but all revenues collected in the past three years from the event were never accounted for and not a centavo was ever turned over to the city government.
City Treasurer Romelita Alcantara estimates that the potential income from November to December that can be generated from the baratillo can reach P4 million.
Meanwhile, City Budget Officer Luz de Guzman confirmed that the city still needs some P25.2 million to pay for the wages of its emergency workers and consultants and P24 million to cover electric bills from September to November.
The amount payable still does not cover billings submitted by legitimate suppliers and contractors screened by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) that need to be paid.
Alcantara identified receivables of the city that remain to be collected include P72.86 million from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and P56.16 million from local revenue sources.
Possible cash on hand to help the city are the P2 million security deposit of market stalls and the P3 million trust fund which can be reverted to the general fund.
Alcantara agreed that the potential income from “baratillo” can help augment the city’s efforts to raise the revenues.
Alcantara’s vague projection was a virtual admission that the revenues from the baratillos held during fiestas and the Dagupan Bangus Festival were not surrendered to the city by the past chairmen of the two annual events since 2010.
The unreported incomes generated from “baratillos” for the past three years are expected to be investigated by the newly created Blue Ribbon committee of the Dagupan sanggunian.
Aside from the “baratillo”, the city government is adopting the earlier suggestion of Alcantara for the city to take over all four public comfort rooms rented to concessionaires at measly P2,000 each a month and expect to generate more income for the city.
On the other hand, City Auditor Virgilio Quinto recommended the city treasury department to resort to “out of the box” processes to collect taxes and not merely rely on what is provided for in the ISO International Standard Organization (ISO) certification.
City Administrator Farah Decano, a lawyer, vowed to review the systems of collection in the city treasurer’s office and see how it can collect more taxes from the public.
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