By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA
ANGELES CITY, Pampanga – Based on the tax
target given by the national government, the taxes to be collected by the
Bureau of Internal Revenue in central Luzon are almost three times bigger than
by their counterpart in Ilocos Region.
BIR Revenue Region No. 4 Director lawyer Emmanuel S. Ferrer, Jr. told Northern Watch Newspaper that his office is mandated by the tax agency’s central office in Quezon City to collect P60.8 billion for this year.
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| Central Luzon is becoming a preferred hub for industrial park development in the country. This is according to leading diversified professional services and investment management firm Colliers (NASDAQ and TSX: CIGI), that attributes this to improving infrastructure connectivity and the rise of new industrial spaces in the region, brought on by the development of more integrated communities. Moneysense.com |
“P60.8 billion. For last year P51 billion,”
the Director told this writer during the sideline of the tax campaign kick-off rally of Revenue
District Office No. 21A held at the Activity Center of Marquee Mall in Angeles
City, Pampanga.
Ilocos Region
The BIR in central Luzon oversees Revenue
District Office No. 1 in Ilocos Norte, RDO No. 2 in Ilocos Sur, RDO No. 3 in La
Union, RDO No. 4 in central Pangasinan, RDO No. 5 in western Pangasinan, and
RDO No. 6 in eastern Pangasinan.
RDO No. 4 Chief Lope N. Tubera said that
Revenue Regional Office No. 1 was ordered to collect P23. 7 billion while his
office – that oversees two cities and fourteen towns’ central Pangasinan was
tasked to rack up P5.391 billion for 2024.
Central Luzon
If RDO No. 4 is the premier tax office in
the six RDOs Ilocos Region, RDO-21A under Charmaine C. dela Torre is the
flagship office of central Luzon because it is mandated to collect P14.4 -billion
this year. RDO-21A covers the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and the towns of Magalang,
Porac, and Arayat.
The population of the six provinces
(Aurora, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales) of the Revenue
Regional Office No. 4 as coined by the BIR for central Luzon was 7, 985, 037
(PSA 2020) while the demography of the four provinces (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos
Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan) Revenue Regional Office No. 1 was 5,301,139 (PSA
2020).
Region-3
A growth region in the Philippines,
according to the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) that contributes
significantly to the national economy, Central Luzon is home to a number of
industrial estates and economic zones with efficient water, power and
telecommunication facilities; port facilities; road networks that create
synergy between and among the economic and tourism points of Subic, Clark and
the seven provinces; and, a strategic location that offers accessibility for
the movement of people, goods and service from the North to Manila.
A distinct advantage in consideration of
the Asia-Pacific Rim, Central Luzon’s highly strategic location was enough for
the United States Government to locate their biggest naval and air military
facilities outside the US mainland. The former Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Base
facilities which were turned over to the Philippine government in 1991, now two
of the country’s premier economic zones.
Central Luzon combines the advantages of
an international airport, a seaport, industrial and agricultural areas, tourism
and leisure sites, support services, and major thoroughfares. The
complementation of each of these elements enhances the strengths of the region
as an investment destination.
Ilocos Region
Although the economy in the southern
portion of the region, especially Pangasinan, is anchored on agro-industrial
and service industry, the economy in the northern portion of the region is
anchored in the agricultural sector. The economy in Pangasinan is driven by
agro-industrial businesses, such as milkfish (bangus) cultivation and
processing, livestock raising, fish paste processing (bagoong), salt
production, and others. At the same time the importance of trading, financial
services, and educational services in the economy cannot be denied. Income in
the Ilocos provinces or northern portion mostly come from cultivating rice,
tobacco, corn, sugarcane, and fruits; raising livestock such as pigs, chicken,
goats, and carabaos (water buffalos).
The distribution of the economic activity
in the region may be seen from the collection of tax revenue of the national
government. The bulk of the collections come from Pangasinan, which posted 61%
of the total.
The service and light manufacturing
industries are concentrated in the cities. Dagupan City is mostly driven by its
local entrepreneurs, which have started to expand its network up to the
national level. San Fernando City in La Union also has an active shipping port
and Laoag City in Ilocos Norte has an international airport.
The tourism industry, driven by local
airlines and land transportation firms in the area like Victory Liner, Five
Stars, Solid North, Farinas Transit Company and Partas, focuses on the coastal
beaches and on eco-tourism. There are fine sands stretching western Pangasinan,
along Bauang and premium beach resorts in San Juan all in La Union and the rest
of the region. Opportunities to engage in other water sports and activities
abound. Eco-tourism takes advantage of the marine and forest resources in the
Ilocos Region and displays the natural beauty of the place.
The region is also rich in crafts, with
renowned blanket-weaving and pottery. The Ilocanos’ burnay pottery is well
known for its dark colored clay.
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