Talisay City  gave Pasidungog Awards to its constituents for their outstanding performances, influences, and contributions to the community during the 13th Pasidungog Festival, Mayor Eric Saratan said yesterday.

The awards were for the Outstanding Taxpayers, the Outstanding Teachers, the Outstanding Non-Government Organization, the Outstanding Traffic Enforcer, the Outstanding Police Officer, and the 2011 Dungganon nga Pamilyang Talisaynon.

Saratan said they awarded 20 outstanding taxpayers this year and he hopes that, through the awards, more taxpayers will be willing to declare and pay their taxes on time.Kooll Company, Inc., an alcohol plant, was one of the recipients of the Outstanding Corporate Taxpayer Award. Kooll plant  manager Benjamin Mariglat said the award is a reminder for all the taxpayers to pay the right amount of taxes.

He said this is one way of helping the city to have better services.Meanwhile, identified by the Department of Health as a fast growing city in terms of population in Negros Occidental,  Talisay’s  city’s Internal Revenue Allotment has increased from P50 million to more than P170 million, Saratan said.Increase in population entails higher IRA and higher IRA involves more economic activities that may create problems as well. 

But, Saratan said, handling the problems will be  much easier if the residents will cooperate with the local government.Meanwhile, Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay (Zambales 1st District) assured that she will support the programs of Talisay City and the projects of Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benetiz (Neg. Occ. 3rd District).Magsaysay said she  will take actions on how to address the uneven electricity rates and oil prices in Luzon compared to the Visayas and Mindanao.

She pointed this out when she noticed that oil prices here in Negros Occidental are higher by P5 to P7. Magsaysay also said that it is not enough to say that oil depots  imported the products  and there is less competition of oil retailers in the provinces compared to Manila. Oil prices and electricity rates should have the same cost all over the country, Magsaysay added.

Meanwhile, the ongoing construction of the first two-story building of the Ayala North Point TechnoHub, a business process outsourcing site, is just the beginning of bringing in more jobs and services to Talisay, Saratan said. Seven more buildings are to be constructed in the site for the Eco Information Technology Park in Talisay, which will be the site  for call centers and other BPO companies that are willing to occupy the space, Saratan also said. Talisay is expecting more investments once the IT Park is completed and more jobs will be provided as well, he added.*LTG

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