By PNA
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The city government has released some PHP1.2 million in incentives to its 26 barangays for the successful implementation of this year’s land tax campaign.
Rodilon Lacap, acting city treasurer, said Friday the move is part of the continuing rollout of the local government’s Barangay Incentive Program, which rewards barangays that have met their tax collection targets.
Started two years ago, the program taps the assistance of barangay councils in the collection of real property taxes.
For this year, Lacap said a number of barangays have posted significant increases and even exceeded their target collections.
Under the incentive scheme, 10 rural barangays received consolation prizes of PHP10,000 each.
Barangay Baluan received PHP150,000 for topping the rural category while Ligaya and Conel got PHP100,000 and PHP50,000, respectively, as second and third placers.
In the urban category, Lacap said the minor winners, which received PHP20,000 each, were barangays Lagao, Tambler, San Isidro, Calumpang, Dadiangas South, Labangal, Dadiangas North, Bula, Dadiangas West, and Barangay Seguil.
Barangays Apopong and City Heights received PHP100,000 and PHP150,000, respectively, as second and third placers, he said.
Barangay Dadiangas East emerged as the top performer and received an incentive of PHP300,000.
“We will continue to enhance the implementation of the incentive program next year,” Lacap said in a statement.
In the last two years, he said the city was able to meet its collection target for real property taxes because of the program.
It surpassed its collection target for real property tax in 2017, which was based on its actual collection of PHP238.56 million in 2016.
The Bureau of Local Government Finance recognized the city government last year as the top performer among first class cities in Region 12 or Soccsksargen in terms of realty tax collection.
