Ang Maynila… Noon at Ngayon

(Ika-6 na bahagi ng State of the City Address ni Mayor Joseph Estrada noong Hulyo 23, 2014)

“Our City Council enacted Ordinance No. 8330 which provided a revised schedule of fair market values of real pro-perty and Ordinance No. 8331, the 2013 Omnibus Reve­nue Code of the city which rationalized local tax rates. The previous administrations did not revise property values since 1996 and did not increase local taxes since 1993.

These ordinances were enacted by our city council without fear or hesitation. As a result, we were recognized by the Department of Finance as one of only two ci-ties in Metro Manila with an updated schedule of values and compliant tax rates of real property.

Pinasasalamatan ko ang Sangguniang Panglungsod at ang chairman ng Ways and Means Committee, Mon Yupangco. Palakpakan po natin sila.

Our revenue collection greatly improved. Revenues from January to June 2014 were 29.75% or P1.3 billion higher compared to the same period during the previous administration.

Sinisiguro natin na ang bawa’t sentimo ng buwis ay pumapasok sa kaban ng lungsod.

Unti-unti nating nababayaran ang mga utang. Ang utang sa Meralco na P613 million ay P122 million na lang ngayon. Kalahati ng P57 milyon na utang sa tubig ay nabayaran na rin natin. Higit sa P150 milyon ang nabawas sa iba’t-ibang bayarin. P190 million naman po ang naibayad sa Bureau of Internal Revenue.

I promise you that the City of Manila will be debt-free by the end of my second year.

Binabati ko ngayon ang ating treasurer, Liberty Tole­do; ang ating assessor, Jose de Juan; at ang ating Bureau of Permits director, Fortune Mayuga, at kanilang mga kasama. Palakpakan po natin sila.

Hindi lang po tayo nagbayad ng utang, may mga mahahalaga pong mga proyekto tayong natapos.

We now have a fully computerized tax collection system which will substantially increase tax collection and minimize graft and corruption. (Itutuloy)