Barangay Guadalupe has biggest share in property taxes, IRA in Cebu City

Barangays Guadalupe and Sudlon II have the biggest and smallest shares, respectively, in real property taxes from the city government and International Revenue Allotment from the national government, from January to December last year.

This was revealed by majority floor leader Jocelyn Pesquera who is also the council chairperson on budget and finance. A financial statement revealed that the total income from the fund sources of the 80 barangays in the city amounts to P241,633,664.02. This is already the combined real property share from the city government and the IRA share from the national government.

Guadalupe, the largest barangay in the city, also has the biggest IRA share with P8.6 million while it has a real property share of P1.392 million.

Sudlon II, on the other hand, only has a share of P776,472 from the IRA.

Pesquera said the IRA share depends on the barangay's population and lot area and that the barangay will never survive without the IRA because "its scope of taxing power is very limited."

The share in real property taxes, she said, is remitted by the city on a yearly basis although the Local Government Code provides that it be remitted to the barangays on a quarterly basis.

The city government has been extending financial assistance to the barangays - day care workers, tanods, lupon, garbage collectors and street cleaners - but Hipodromo and Sambag II receive the lowest and biggest financial assistance from the city, respectively.

The P6,000 financial assistance given to Hipodromo goes to their day care workers. Sambag II gets P490,008.

Pesquera, however, explained that this should not give the impression that Hipodromo could not afford to pay its day care workers. "Depende ra man gud na sa barangay kon mo-ask ba sila'g financial assistance kay most barangays maka-afford naman og bayad sa ilang mga tawo."

Only barangays Pasil, Sawang Calero, San Nicolas Proper and Suba receive financial assistance to pay for their street cleaners. - Garry B. Lao