Press Release
November 6, 2007

Press Statement of Senator Edgardo J. Angara

The country's newly-elected barangay officials will collectively welcome this senate bill that would empower them financially and give their barangays a head start.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara has filed a bill, Senate bill No. 908 that seeks the automatic retention by the barangays of their 50 per cent share of all community tax (cedula) collections.

At present, several towns and cities across the country hold on to the 50 per cent CTC share of the barangays for long periods of time and barangay leaders are having a difficult time getting their rightful share of the cedula collections, said Angara .

Angara said this takes place because there is no time frame specified under the Local Government Code on when towns and cities should remit the 50 per cent CTC share of the barangays.

In contrast, Angara added, the national government gets its share of the CTC collections from the cities and towns within ten days after the end of every quarter.

Angara said that it has been the practice of some cities and towns to place the CTC share of the barangays under bank time deposits . Barangays have to literally beg for the release of their share because there is no automatic retention provision under the LGC.

"In practice, cities and towns only release the share of the barangays from the CTC collections only when the barangays ask for it. This delays the rendering of basic services to the barangays . That should not be the case," said Angara .

Angara said that the LGC wants barangays to be self-reliant political units.

Getting their automatic share of their own CTC collections will boost their effort to be self-reliant , he added.

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