Tax Revenues from Small Businesses Shoot Up After Citizen Action against Graft

“The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can.”
John W. Gardner, US Secretary of Health and Education, 1965-68

Subscribe to Updates

Related Sites

Prof. Boncodin, in one of the forums she had appeared in to help people understand the the national budget and what people could do to protect it from corruption and wastage.

Join our campaign to access and publish all Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of public and publicly-elected officials.

Click here to see how it went from being a corrupt to clean society

...MORE

Don't rely on Wikipedia or your old schoolbooks: Click here to check your facts from NYU's global law program

Is your local public official or politician driving a Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR or sporting a Rolex watch? If you suspect their lifestyle is in excess of their salary, let us know here in confidence.

This project is supported by:

with technical support from:

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project and the Pera Natin ‘To! website are made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this website and the views expressed herein are solely the responsibility of the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project and the individual authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government or the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.

RSS Syndicator

Tax Revenues from Small Businesses Shoot Up After Citizen Action against Graft

Friday, 04 February 2011

Tags:

Changing: Kidapawan City is expected to increase tax revenues from ukay-ukay shops after the local government improved the collection system and said that alleged bribes would be a thing in the past. ABNER FRANCISCO

Kidapawan City -- Tax revenue from small second hand clothes businesses at a Trade Fair here is set to increase by more than 700 percent after the city government instituted major reforms in their tax collection.

The tax reforms were implemented after a public expose on irregular collection activities resulted to the filing of graft cases against two employees of the city government.

City agriculturist Eufrocenia Marcos and her deputy Emeliana Beltran were last year charged with illegal exaction in the Office of the Ombudsman Mindanao.

Engineer Elmer Limpot, overall chair of the city’s Trade Fair said the issue of the city’s ukay-ukay (used clothing) scam prompted them to review their policy and formulate stricter terms and conditions.

Based on the number of ukay-ukay sellers who made bookings, Limpot estimates that this year’s Trade Fair could generate an income of PhP 600,000 (USD 13,636) for the city government.

From 2000 through 2009 income generated ranged from just PhP 80,000 to 90,000 (USD 1,818 to 2,045). Ukay-ukay seller Lally Aninon’s expose in July 2010 via a local radio station however triggered a real change and Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco immediately ordered Marcos to remit all their collections to the Office of the City Treasurer.

It was found out that for the past decade the City Agriculture Office which was in charge of the Trade Fair only remitted a portion of their collection.

Marcos claimed they used the rest of the fund to pay for electric bills and sanitation costs relating to the Trade Fair. Despite this, the mayor ordered the entire fund to be turned over and the collection went up to PhP 280,000 (USD 6,363).

Those previously in charge of the activity are no longer allowed to collect rentals or registrations from the ukay-ukay sellers.

“Collections will be made solely by the Office of the City Treasurer and that official receipts will be issued to the payees,” Limpot said. He also emphasized that they do not authorize anyone to go around and collect payments from the vendors.

This year more vendors participated in the Trade Fair after Limpot said they invited exhibitors to take part in it stressing the new management and ensuring that everything would be made fair and transparent including who is positioned where in terms of the stalls.

“We now do area assignments by drawing lots so that everybody has equal chances of getting favorable and strategic display areas,” he said.

The ukay-ukay vendor’s expose

Before Aninon came out to expose the issue, many people complained about the alleged illegal collection being made by some government employees. But nobody ever took it to the media and made an official complaint. Aninon filed a case after appearing on DXCA Charm Radio -- one of the several local organizations that subsequently got together to form the local citizens’ transparency group Watchful Advocates for Transparent, Clean and Honest Governance in Kidapawan (WATCH Kidapawan) to press for change.

She claimed the two employees collected money from her and other vendors but their payments were never remitted to the Office of the City Treasurer. They were not issued with official receipts instead they were given a piece of paper that served as acknowledgement receipt and as proof of payment.

The lady whistleblower also pointed out that she also participated in trade fairs in Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Sur and Bukidnon but only in Kidapawan that she was issued a piece of scratch paper as a proof of payment.

What irked Aninon was that even if she had paid the rentals and registration fee she was not given an area to display her wares. She was further annoyed upon learning that the best display areas were handed out according to who paid “the biggest bribes”.

Aninon admitted trying to bribe those in charge of the Trade Fair last year with bed sheets valued at PhP 3,000 (USD 68) but suspected other vendors gave bigger bribes.

WATCH Kidapawan supported Aninon’s crusade and stood by her side when she was herself charged with libel after exposed the ukay-ukay scam.

Positive change

Professor Vilma Gonzales, WATCH Kidapawan spokesperson said Aninon’s expose contributed much to the positive changes happening in the city.

“Aninon’s expose really made an impact on the community. City officials are now cautious of their actions and we appreciate the city government’s effort to clean up the system. Now we see how it ends up leading to bigger revenues – the biggest in more than a decade” Gonzales said.

Citizen action on corruption has directly led to an increase in revenues which can then be ploughed back into creating better public services.

City Treasurer Elsa Palmones this week confirmed that the amount collected has now reached PhP 449,298 (USD 10,211) and that they are “very optimistic” that they will reach their target figure of PhP 600,000 before the fair ends on February 28.

On hearing the good news, Aninon immediately sent a text message to WATCH Kidawapan on her reaction.

She wrote: “Dako akong kalipay kay bisan ako gamayng tawo lang, may ma-contribute para mapaayo ang sistema sa panggobyerno sa Kidapawan. Kini timaan nga ang kabag-uhan maggikan kanato. Ang pagpang-abuso sa gobyerno mahitabo lamang kung kitang gagmayng tawo magpakabuta bungol.” (I’m very happy that even if I am just an ordinary person, I was able to contribute to improve government system here in Kidapawan. This means reforms come from us. Abuses happen if people like us will turn deaf and mute about what happen around us.) Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project

(The author is the program director of DXCA Charm Radio and a member of WATCH Kidapawan.)

Project Partners

BLOGS

End-of-Project Survey – Your Opinions So Far

Thursday, 07 July 2011

While the first of our two end-of project surveys has just been posted, the results coming in already make for some very interesting reading. This survey largely centers on which direction you think the fight for greater transparency and accountability is headed in the Philippines and what you think is currently present, necessary or missing in thinking, plans and action. READ MORE

The People’s Budget – It’s Up To us to Really Make It So

Thursday, 24 February 2011

Senate Bill 2186 or the People's Participation in Budget Deliberations Act is a very welcome move in the fight against corruption and graft and the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project was lucky enough to see it first a few weeks ago and be tapped for our own opinions on it. READ MORE

Truth Telling as We Remember the Lessons from EDSA

Monday, 21 February 2011

Former state auditor Heidi Mendoza’s message to the public at the Valentine’s Day forum where she was key speaker was very timely given we are just days away from marking the 25th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship and ushered in democracy. READ MORE

The Public Watch

Saturday, 19 February 2011

It is encouraging to see the Senate Conference Room on February 18 filled with students, nuns, socialites, activists, CSO workers and other concerned citizens who are all wanting to follow the continuing Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on alleged corruption within the Armed Forces of the Philippines. READ MORE

General Heidi

Thursday, 03 February 2011

We have a true ‘soldier’ in the form of anti-corruption fighter Heidi Mendoza –we just need to encourage more people like her to step forward and join her army. READ MORE

In the National – Not Personal Interest

Wednesday, 02 February 2011

‘Basic fair play, decency, good manners and right conduct.’ These words appeared in a well-argued column yesterday by William M. Esposo, the self-styled Chair-wrecker from the Philippine Star. READ MORE

Poor Budgeting, Too Many Contingency, and Special Purpose Funds and ‘Savings’ – All A Recipe For Corruption

Tuesday, 01 February 2011

Without commenting on who is charging what about whom in the AFP right now, it is not difficult to see how pabaon (send-off money) scandals can so easily happen. Blue Ribbon Committee hearings and politicians talk incessantly about slush-funds - and they seem to feature in every high level case of alleged corruption: But as yet, we don’t seem to link the ubiquitous slush funds with the ubiquitous and hugely discretionary contingency and special purpose funds (and dare we say it again, the PDAF/Pork Barrel Allocations) which are written into national budgets and approved by legislative committees year after year.” READ MORE

Officials Ignoring DILG Orders to Stop Personalizing Public Projects

Friday, 21 January 2011

A public-spirited citizen from Samar has just sent us in a series of photos and a complaint that government officials there appear to be in clear breach of a circular from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) banning the use of “names or initials and/or images or pictures of government officials in billboards and signages of government programs and projects.” READ MORE

The Good and Bad News from TI’s 2010 Global Corruption Barometer

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

There is both good and bad news for the Philippines in the latest Global Perception Barometer Index released by Transparency International last week to mark International Anti-Corruption Day (December 9). READ MORE

SC Ruling Is No Surprise

Friday, 10 December 2010

Sadly the Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the Truth Commission comes as no surprise. We put ‘sadly’ not for the reasons that some might think – that many claim the Court to be biased against the Aquino government. It is ‘sad’ because it was perfectly clear back in May that any attempt to set up a commission which would only look at the alleged misdeeds of the Arroyo administration was a very poorly judged one. It suggested the move was much more about politics than it was about addressing the root of the problem of corruption in the Philippines. READ MORE

University Budget Cuts – Fact or Fiction and the Media’s Mission To Explain

29 November 2010

Opinion is critical and freedom of expression an inalienable (natural) right. Too is the right to information and often we assume they are the same thing. Yet information is essentially data and fact. Unfortunately, too much reporting the world over is poorly rooted in fact and too heavily in opinion and hearsay. READ MORE

Open Budget, Open Government

29 November 2010

Government officials, members of civil society organization workers, academic experts, business people and international development agencies met on Saturday November 20 in Pasig City to sign an agreement in a bid to make government budgets more open. READ MORE

Transparency in Government Contracts to Big Business and Consultancies
22 November 2010

“We are beginning to learn who works where, what departments spend and who are the big business recipients of taxpayers’ money,” journalists from the UK Guardian wrote last Friday in response to the latest release of financial details by the British Government. READ MORE

>> More Blog entries

PROJECT NEWS

PPTRP holds 10th budget reporting training in Bohol June 30

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 10th training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on June 30 at the JJ’s Seafood Village in Tagbilaran City in Bohol. READ MORE

PPTRP holds 9th budget transparency reporting training in Kidapawan City June 6

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 9th training on advanced and anti-corruption reporting dubbed as “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on June 6 at Boylyn Pension Plaza in Kidapawan City. The training was made possible with the financial assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the technical assistance of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI). READ MORE

PPTRP holds 8th budget reporting training in Pampanga June 3

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 8th training on advanced and anti-corruption reporting dubbed as “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on June 3 at the Social Action Center of Pampanga in San Fernando City, Pampanga. READ MORE

PPTRP-supported Local Transparency Groups Share Experiences in Reporting, Fighting Corruption

Three local transparency reporting groups which the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) supported and helped establish gathered on June 3 in Bohol to share experiences in building transparency and accountability in their respective communities. READ MORE

PPTRP holds 7th budget reporting training in Davao City May 27

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its seventh training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on May 27 at the Ateneo De Davao in Davao City. READ MORE

PPTRP holds 6th budget transparency reporting in Dipolog City May 23

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its 6th training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on May 23 at the Top Plaza Hotel in Dipolog City. READ MORE

PPTRP meets with editors and columnists May 18 to discuss media coverage of public corruption

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project met with editors and columnists of selected national and international media organizations May 18 in Manila to discuss current media behavior and thinking in relation to public corruption and transparency. READ MORE

PPTRP meets NBN ZTE scam whistle blower Rodolfo Lozada May 9

Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, the former CEO of the Philippine Forest Corporation who later disclosed explosive information on the anomalous USD 329 million NBN-ZTE deal that nearly brought down the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, shared his views May 9 with the Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project on continuing the fight against corruption and for genuine transparency under the new administration. READ MORE

PPTRP holds 5th budget reporting training in Ozamiz City April 26

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project held its fifth training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on April 26 at the Naomi’s Botanical Gardens in Ozamiz City. READ MORE

PPTRP holds 4th training on budget reporting in CDO April 2

The Philippine Public Transparency Reporting Project (PPTRP) held its fourth training on advanced transparency and anti-corruption reporting called “Numeracy for Journalists, Civil Society Organizations and Citizens” on April 2 in Cagayan de Oro City. READ MORE

>> More Project News

Signages What's wrong with these photos (apart from the blocked out bits)? Click here to find out.

Scalet_letter