Rich Towns Bare 2024 Budgets

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

Six first class towns in Pangasinan have already submitted their year 2024 budget to their respective legislative bodies for approval.

The thriving towns of Mangaldan, Lingayen, Binalonan, Calasiao, Binmaley and Manaoag have P430, 000, 000 plus, P408, 222, 843, almost P400, 000, 000, P380, 000,000 plus, P324, 360, 000 and P268, 000, 000, respectively, proposed appropriation ordinances. 

MAYORS OF FIRST CLASS towns in Pangasinan: (Left top photo and clockwise) Binalonan Mayor Ramon Ronald V. Guico, IV, Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno, Manaoag Mayor Jeremy Agerico Rosario, Binmaley Mayor Pete Merrera, Calasiao Mayor Kevin Roy Macanlalay and Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil.

MANGALDAN

Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno, who attended the November 11 second committee hearing called by the lawmaking body, said that she hoped the budget should be passed immediately by the august chamber since there are countless activities for the town next year.

Some of them are the Mangaldan Birthing Clinic that was certified already by the Department of Health (DOH), the proposed Animal Bite Center and the thriving town’s bid for the certification of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

LINGAYEN

Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil told this newspaper that it has a P408, 222, 843 proposed budget for next year.

“Our national tax allocation (NTA) is P313, 222, 843 and local income is P95, 000,000,” he told this writer on a short messaging service.

BINALONAN

Pangasinan Governor Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III told this writer that his town – where he was a mayor there for nine years – has P392,554,000.00 proposed budget for 2024.

The governor’s younger brother Ramon Ronald Guico, IV is the newly minted mayor of the landlocked town.

The governor said that the NTA – the successor of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) – of Binalonan is P191,264,614.00. while it has a bigger collection of P201, 289, 386 from the local taxes and revenues.

“Our goal was to be IRA independent and that the local income will exceed the IRA,” he told Northern Watch Newspaper.

Just like the first class town’s Sual, Pangasinan that derived its huge business and real property taxes from the mammoth San Miguel Corporation runs 1,200 megawatt coal power plant it hosted, Binalonan has the monolith’s Japanese owned Sumitomo North Philippines Wiring Systems Corporation and other Manila based businesses that put shop there.

What makes this eastern Pangasinan first class town unique compared to the other five rich towns mentioned at the second paragraph of this news article, Binalonan has the lowest population of 56,382 (2020 Census) among them all.

CALASIAO

Calasiao has more than P380 million for 2024 according to Mayor Kevin Roy Macanlalay.

“Naka submit na (2024 budget) for approval sa Sanggunian. P380 (million) plus,” Macanlalay recently told Northern Watch Newspaper.

BINMALEY

Mayor Pedro A. Merrera told this newspaper that his administration had only added six percent for this year’s budget that will make the next year’s appropriation at P324, 360, 000 when asked by this writer about the modest budget of one of the most populated municipalities in the eight towns’ Second District.

To buttress it, Merrera said he asked his staff to aggressively monitor and implement the fees on building construction’s permits.

“Actually kung titingnan nga natin mukhang maliit talaga. That’s why we are trying to upgrade our local source funds kasi iyan lang iyong isang uri kasi lahat dito ay tinitingnan even these building permits even the building construction lahat na mga business – tinitingnan namin kasi iyan din iyong payment of these taxes balang araw maibibigay din natin ang kagandahan ng bayan”.

But if one quantified the town’s P71, 287, 329.85 supplemental budget approved by the lawmaking body, the coastal municipality has P377, 287, 330 this year.

The strategy of Merrera to boost his town’s taxation was done in year 2022 by Lingayen Mayor Bataoil.

 In his First 100 Days Report to his constituents on October 10, 2022, Bataoil zealously told the public that he would collect more taxes like those in the market stalls, real property taxes and other sources to buttress the public coffer.

MANAOAG

Manaoag Mayor Jeremy Agerico Rosario told Northern Watch Newspaper that his administration will have proposed appropriation budget of P268, 000, 000 next year.

The pilgrims’ town has a population of 76, 045 (2020 Census).

Next year’s budget of all the provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays in the Philippines is based on the national government’s tax collection in year 2021 – the year where the economy was recovering from the ravaged of the dreaded Corona Virus-19 pandemic in 2020.

According to the Local Government Code, 40 percent of the national taxes by the national government should be shared by the provinces (23 %), cities (23 %), towns (34%) and barangays (20%).