Phl Councilors League wants 60% IRA share for LGUs

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Councilors League now wants a bigger chunk of the Internal Revenue Allotment share for local government units, according to a PNA report over the weekend.

PCL national chairman Alan Zulueta of Tagum City said the Constitution provides that LGUs should get an equitable share of the taxes collected by the government "because we are in the forefront of tax collection."

Zulueta said the LGUs wanted to reverse the present sharing of 60 percent for the national government and only 40 percent for the LGUs. "It should be the local governments that should get 60 percent," he said.

How can we (the LGUs) be effective if we lack funds," Zulueta said, citing the LGUs as the ones that deliver the government services to the people. "They (national gov't) devolved the functions but not the funds," he said.

Zulueta said the LGUs were not begging for more funds from the national government but were only asking for their rightful share.

If the LGUs are successful in their services, the national government will have lesser problems, Zulueta said. "We can help address the issues of poverty, peace and order and food security," he said.

If the 60 percent share of LGUs is realized, then "the national government could focus more on external security and on inviting more investors," said Zulueta. "We need to review the (sharing) formula," he added.

Zulueta was in this city last Friday with other PCL national officers, including their president Alma Moreno, for the provincial assembly of the PCL-Negros Occidental Chapter, which incidentally re-elected Councilor Raul Rivera of Kabankalan City as its chapter president. — From the wires (FREEMAN)