Board Member defends mayor, blamed prov’l assessor

Mangaldan Mayor Hermie Romero officiates an official function on this photo

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN - Provincial Board Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario comes to the succour of Mangaldan Mayor Herminio Aquino by blaming Provincial Assessor Nestor Quimbao as the one responsible for the lack of information by the public in the new valuation of Real Property Tax.

His raps against Quimbao ensued recently in a press conference here called by Governor Amado T. Espino.

“I agree with the statement of Mayor Romero earlier na medyo look-out dapat ito ng local assessors  by municipalities and cities to have a clear idea to explain na duon sa kanilang end na kung anung nangyaring adjustment na ito. Ang nangyari kasi tinuturo dito sa probinsiya kaya nga may kaunting problema sa aspect na iyon. Dito ang talagang medyo kulang ang provincial. Just the same iyon nga alam na natin ang problema mabibigyan at malalagyan ng solution itong problema. Information or lack of knowledge whatever itung local assessor and the treasurer,” he stressed.

Board Member Rosario blamed Provincial Assessor Quimbao for his failure to inform the provincial board and the municipal assessors about the mechanics of the new higher valuation of lands.

“In short even those local assessors were not briefed enough,” he quipped.

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Mayor Romero explained here earlier that the reason he posted two huge tarpaulins inside his town’s municipal hall so that it would put a stop to the incessant queries of tax payers who found them paying a land tax that spiked averagely 300% not only in their town but all over the province.

“What is being imposed under the new ordinance, so that is how? We don’t know, we were not informed much of this ordinance. We don’t

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even know that it can be paid four or five times. Should that have happen then the circumstances might have been mitigated, but it did not happen.  The only people that Provincial Assessor Quimbao informed were my assessor and my treasurer, no one else”.

He said that with clear information dissemination from the provincial assessor office, the grumbling among his constituents should have been avoided.

The tarpaulins in Mangaldan got the goat of Governor Amado T. Espino.

Despite the snafu brought by the RPT in Mangaldan, the soft-spoken mayor said he collected P3million in March from the new valuation.

Romero said however that the provincial imposition complies with the law. He called the provincial assessor to explain the mechanics of the hikes (Mortz C. Ortigoza).