AC Rooms in Cebu Gov't Offices Are Strictly For Authorized Personnel Only: Why Filipinos Feel Robbed By Taxes

I read a news article on the local paper today, and a big chain of store was to be shut down by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) apparently due to unsettled tax obligations, but was aborted.

Question: Why is our country’s BIR so obsessed about running after “tax evaders” and “compelling” them to pay taxes?  Yes, it is a provision by the Philippine Constitution, that every citizen of the land is obliged to pay taxes.  On the other hand, taxes are supposed to be spent for the “welfare” of the people.

Question: If the taxes are supposed to be for the people’s welfare, then is it not logical that people should not run away from paying their obligations for their own welfare?  Logically, yes, people should voluntarily pay taxes to enjoy “welfare” from it.  Contextually, in the Philippines, people run away from it, due to the fact that the Filipinos feel like they are not enjoying the benefits of taxation.  Filipinos feel robbed by taxes.

Question: Shouldn’t the BIR prioritize their agenda in looking after where the taxes are spent, instead of running after tax evaders?  This way, taxpayers can rest assured that their taxes are well spent.  Every Filipino would want to make sure that each Peso paid to the government as taxes will definitely come back to the Filipinos in the form of welfare.

The 7 Wonders of The Philippines:
1.  Only 5% of the total population in the Philippines control its economy.
2.  Government Officials are served by the people.
3.  Consequently, people in the Government Service feel like they should be served by the people too.
4.  Transacting with government offices need to be a struggle of classes.
5.  The government will make it inconvenient for you to get anything done so you can find ways of making it easy...all possible through money.
6.  Getting a job alone is difficult.  When you get a job, completing documents from government agencies is 100 times more difficult.
7.  Each year, at least 1 Million Filipinos leave the country for better opportunities abroad.
Photo credits:
PHiLiPPiNES: Home of World-Class Festivals

In a recent visit to some of our “respectable” government institutions, I was appalled at how the government staff treated the people transacting with them, who are the taxpayers.

I have to be blunt this time, and it was PRC and NBI that I needed to visit just recently.

Fact: Despite computerization, people still queue forever at NBI-Cebu.  Getting your NBI Clearance is like a mission trip to the moon.  If you are unlucky to be in a hurry, you have to find an alternative and get your NBI clearance in Tuburan, Cebu.  That's additional Ph280 roundtrip fare on top of the Ph115 clearance fee, and another 6 hours travel forth and back.

Transacting in NBI-Cebu and PRC-Cebu made me feel that I am of inconvenience to the staff who were working in these offices.  Both places were uncomfortable agencies to transact in, as we were in tremendously long queues without the benefit of comfort from air conditioning, as the most comfortable and air-conditioned spaces were “STRICTLY FOR AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY”.

In addition, aren’t the government personnel of our country trained how to be courteous and people-oriented at least?  As taxpayers, Filipinos deserve decent and comfortable government offices with friendly and people-oriented staff who really know and understand that the Filipinos are the ones paying their monthly salaries and their benefits.

Being in the government service, by definition, essentially means any government staff is supposed to serve the Filipino people and not act as if the people, who in essence are paying their salaries through taxes, should kneel down to deserve quality service.

We do not need too many staff in the government who only add burden to the monthly payroll and sit idly the whole day pretending to be too busy to really do their job right.  Filipinos deserve to have people in the government service who are smart and with service-oriented attitude.  We deserve quality over quantity.

QUESTION:  When will the BIR stop its business in running after tax evaders in the Philippines?

ANSWER:  Only when the Philippine Government really gives back these taxes for the welfare of the Filipinos who deserve only the best from their hard-earned money.

P.S.
The next time you queue in any government office, bring the ff:

• a callused heart, to get ready for insults from any of the government staff;
• a bottle of water, as you will definitely get thirsty with a long queue;
• a fan and sheets of tissue, as you will expect to stay in non-AC areas for long as you wait in queue;
• LOADS of PATIENCE, as you will hear a lot of grumbling around from people like you who will hate the Philippines more by all the inconvenience going on.

P.S.2

• Transact with the Philippines government offices every work day of your life, and you will finally realize that you are wasting your life and taxes in the Philippines. 
• FACT: While Koreans are flocking this country in huge waves, the Filipinos are planning their immediate flight out the Philippines every year:

STATISTICS From POEA 
Year 2008: 1,236,013 Filipinos left for employment abroad
Year 2009: 1,422,586 Filipinos left for employment abroad
Year 2010: 1,470,826 Filipinos left for employment abroad 

Related Stories:
BIR aborts closure of store’s five branches after P50M fee
NBI Clearance at Tuburan
NBI Not So Clearance

The True Relationship Among Cebu Flyovers, Congressmen, and Karma

Prior to the P'Noy Administration, the burden of contractors was like this:

1) Congressman/Mayor has a budget for a project

2) Congressman/Mayor talks to contractor about the possible awarding of contract, then contractor agrees that a portion of the contract amount goes to the Congressman/Mayor. This amount is called S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure). This means the profit will be lesser but this guarantees awarding of the contract to the contractor. Thus, bidding is non-existent. It does occur, but the essence of the bidding is not there.

3) If the contractor is unlucky, Congressman/Mayor asks for the S.O.P. in advance. Therefore, contractors are left to shell out money (a minimum of 20% of the total contract amount) to keep the favor of the Congressman/Mayor.

For example, if the project amount is 600 Million, at least 20% of such goes to the Congressman/Mayor (thus, 120 Million). If unlucky, the contractor could have shelled out a huge sum before the actual bidding period, a minimum of 1.2 Million (1% of 20%), to get the contract award.

Thus, what happens?

- Contractor is burdened to pay money while the contract is still on "verbal negotiations". Consequently, contractor makes a way to still earn profit or have the risk of losing more, thus quality of work is sacrificed.

- Since Congressman/Mayor already got the money in advance, it is adamant to get the project done. Otherwise, the S.O.P will have to be reimbursed. So by virtue of the power of the Congressman/Mayor, project should be awarded to contractor.

Achieving Sustainable Development takes into consideration the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the future generation.  There should be a balance in addressing the interests and stakes for People, Planet and Profit.  Photo Credits: www.dreamstime.com

I hope that this is no longer the case these days, as P'Noy is now the President of the Philippines.

If such is still the current practice, then something is really wrong with the system.

I just hope that this is not the reason why there is persistence in building flyovers in Cebu despite the obvious reasons to stop it.

The most tangible rationale to build an infrastructure as expensive as a Ph600 Million Flyover are not signatures of the people who are supporting the project. There are people who are against the flyovers, not just those who own the properties along the site where these shall be built, and these people understand what matters most.

Cebu needs a Master Plan.
We can enumerate all the problems faced by Cebu, and the other highly urbanized cities of Metro Cebu these days (like Mandaue City, Lapulapu City, to name a few), and the lack of a working Master Plan is one of the root causes.

A Master Plan will tell how resources are to be used, how land will be developed, how road networks will maximize the use of the zoned areas, and how people will live in a City that Works.  All these will help ensure that we are taking care of Cebu and its territories to make sure that the future generation will have something to use for their needs too.

Pity on us if all our representatives in the government will only care about S.O.P.

They can do every legality needed to justify the building of these flyovers, and if such infrastructures will rise in the ugliest way, then so be it.

But it is my moral obligation to tell everyone, that if we do not care about how to manage Cebu by having a vision of what we want it to become in about 5-10 years from now, expect to live in a City that's thirsty, dirty, and congested.

Planning Metro Cebu needs to be a consolidation of solutions that work, coming from multi-sectors. Planning this City is beyond talks over how to earn money fast by building projects that are not thought out well. Decisions in managing Cebu need to be based on having sustainable environment that will work for the health and safety of the people.

On the issue of whether or not a Flyover should be built before a Master Plan is rolled out: I rest my case. Any elected official should be intelligent enough to understand the message right away.

Unless of course, he or she is otherwise.

To end this, I can only state more facts.

• Cebu is a highly clannish society.  
• About only 5% of the total population of the Philippines control its economy.  
• The fall of the greatest empires of mankind's history are mostly attributed to leaders who somehow forgot their responsibilities to the people.  Either the people pushed forward to retrieve the power they entrusted upon those leaders, or these leaders got cooked in their own grease.  (I think one of the most corrupt presidents/officials of this country might be in this plight already).  

We all co-exist and we share just one world, and whatever bad things you do will come back to you.  Definitely, "Chickens come home to roost".

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About the Author:
I am a proud Generation X. If most of my generation have lost hope and decided it's stupid to stay in the Philippines in their lifetime, then I must be stupid. But what makes me different from the rest of the Generation X, Y, and Millenium Generation who have left Inang Bayan is my one great love for the Philippines to keep on hoping day by day that it will change for the best.  This is my contribution to my Motherland.

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I Ate Flyovers Again For Breakfast: And Why It’s Getting Sickening For Cebu

Yes, it’s sickening.  The word “Flyovers” is now becoming agitating and irritating.

Each and every time I drive by past a flyover, I can’t help but wonder how much went to the pockets of those who signed for the approval of these infrastructures to get built.

So they want the Flyovers in Cebu City to get built as soon as possible.  It’s like hearing these people say, “let’s get these built to get the money as soon as possible”.  Apparently, each flyover will cost roughly Ph600 Million, and being among those who have done government projects in the past, probably 20% of that amount definitely is not bad for the pockets of those who want to get rich fast by building fast.

What’s frustrating about some of the key decision makers of this country is that, they hear the people’s voice when they run for office, and yet they tend to get selective amnesia once they are seated in their respective offices. 

“Sustainable development seeks to meet
the needs of present generations without
compromising the ability to meet
those of the future”
(The Bruntland Report, 1987)  
Photo credits: http://www.euroecoteens.net

Real representatives ought to GENUINELY REPRESENT the valid concerns of the people.

It's needless to say that the taxpayers' money ought to be spent on those that will bring outcomes for the common good, and I say it again anyway for the sake of sickening emphasis.

That is why the sight of the blue buses running around the city with the face of this decision maker pisses me off.  It should have been the people’s faces, the taxpayers, that should be painted there and not the two of you, unless of course they took the money out of their own pockets.  And seeing these blue buses parked at the busy intersections at the whims of the unmindful drivers is not cute at all...reflecting how capricious the faces on that bus are in representing the city.

So let it be.

Build fast because that is one way of getting million pesos richer fast.

Because if these flyovers should rise, each one becomes a landmark of the plain misinformation that has unfortunately plagued some of the key decision-makers of Cebu.  It validates who to vote for and who not to vote for…who to trust and who not to trust.

The flyover debate and controversy is but a blessing in disguise.  It definitely gives us a good understanding of what these officials are made of.  Because what they don’t know can really hurt Cebu.  And what they refuse to understand is what's sickening and deadly.

Related Articles:
The True Relationship Among Cebu Flyovers, Congressmen, and Karma
The Ugly Truth About Flyovers: Why Cebu Stays Beautiful Without Flyovers? 
Let’s delay building flyovers
Flyovers, a threat to historical sites, says Mayor Rama
Feelings for flyovers, growing pains (..continued from last Saturday)

The Ugly Truth About Flyovers: Why Cebu Stays Beautiful Without Flyovers?

Flyovers are not just ugly.  Building these can be an indication that a city is poorly planned, or worse, not planned at all.

In simple analogy, building a flyover to address congestion is a band aid solution.  It's an afterthought.

It is an obvious indication that the city has no working plan at all.  It is a reactive solution.

Cebu City does not need more flyovers.  Cebu City needs proactive solutions that will work in the long term.  Cebu needs sustainable solutions that will not only solve traffic congestion in intersections, but will also make the lives of the people more convenient.





What Cebuanos need is a Master Plan for a transportation system that will help make everyone productive and will make this city more liveable, safe and environmentally sound.

The heated debate over having 2 flyovers built in Cebu City is still on-going among local and national stakeholders, and a request to postpone the construction of the flyovers has reached the Palace.

If I were P'Noy, I will also agree with stopping the construction of these flyovers.

Here are the top 3, among many, reasons why Cebu should stop building flyovers:

The best cities of the world are not building flyovers.  They are making Master Plans that allow people to become productive amidst the urbanization of their cities while still enjoying the liveable qualities in working and sustainable cities.  Photo: Melbourne at night.  It is one of the most liveable cities of the world.  Credits: www.dreamstime.com

1)  Flyovers are not just costly, these are ugly.  In a sound cost-benefit analysis, flyovers will turn out to be overpriced for the benefits that these shall yield, if any, in the long run.  Look at Metro Manila now, and urban planners will agree that the flyovers have made the city a living example of many "afterthought" remedies.  Flyovers are cures to bad urban planning that never work, and have remained to be quick, but ugly, remedy to poor decisions in road networking and planning.

2)  Flyovers do not work.  Instead, a city that starts building flyovers, will keep building flyovers in clogged intersections, unless the root of the problem will be addressed.  In the end, Cebu City will become a city of flyovers.  If you are still convinced or think that it works somehow, well, look at the flyover that was built at the intersection near Parklane Hotel and Cebu Business Park (Ayala Center, cebu).  Until now, that intersection remains busy as hell.  That’s just one, among the many examples of flyovers that remain to be temporary cures to the root causes of congestion.  Poorly planned cities in other parts of the world are also having problems caused by building flyovers.

3)  Flyovers do not solve the real cause of congestion.  Building a single one to solve a congestion problem is an indication that the existing transportation system is not working.  Decision makers need to take a look at the bigger picture and see that what Cebu City really needs is a Masterplan (as it never had one in the past.  Such a shame for a highly urbanized city).  Any liveable city across the globe has a working Master Plan.  These cities have working Mass Transportation System that allows people to get from point A to point B within a short time.  Cebu City is too small to have a bad traffic congestion problem in the first place.  Relative to its size, it should never have such only if the transportation system works.

It is sad to see that Cebu City is growing like an organism that has no definite shape at all.  In about 10 to  50 years from now, it is like a living thing which no one knows exactly how it gets shaped into.  Try using Google Earth, and compare Cebu City's footprint to the top cities of the world that are well planned and are really the most liveable places.  I'm sure you will wish Cebu should have been planned better, if there was any plan at all.

What Cebu City really needs is a Master Plan that:

1)      respects the environment – should have pocket parks and bike lanes, pavements that allow rainwater to seep through;

2)      allows people to live in a City with walkable streets – shaded walks and canopies, car-free zones;

3)      has child-friendly landscapes – our existing motorized streets are surely not kid-friendly.  Child-friendly cities are most liveable and are very appropriate for all ages;

4)      encourages low carbon emissions – thus, should have mass transportation systems to encourage people to leave their cars at home or in nodes and commute more due to the benefits from reduced travel time and convenience with a mass transport; and

the list could go on…and to me, such ideals are not ambitious.  These solutions are more than practical and sound, for those who really understand what sustainable development means.  If it worked in other cities, why can’t it work for Cebu City that’s really relatively small in scale and relatively easy to manage.

Thoughts create things.  I love to live in a city that works.  I would love to live in the new Cebu City that really works.

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About the author:
A professional B2B web content provider since 2008.  
Finished BS Architecture from the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Graduated Master of Science in Urban Environmental Management from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand.

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Other Related Stories:

•  I Ate Flyovers Again For Breakfast: And Why It’s Getting Sickening For Cebu

• The True Relationship Among Cebu Flyovers, Congressmen, and Karma

• Flyovers, a threat to historical sites, says Mayor Rama

• Let’s delay building flyovers

• CITOM REJECTS 2 FLYOVERS

• More groups oppose flyovers; mayor to raise issue to PNoy

What to Do in Cebu City and Among Millions Reasons to Visit Cebu City Philippines

If you're still thinking where to go for the remaining days of the holiday season, think no more.

I've been trying to find nice places to go in other countries, when the best place to see was just literally right under my nose. Cebu!

Although I've been out the country and back often, I only had the chance to see Cebu again this December. If there's one thing I can say, it's really one of the nicest cities I have been for so many reasons.

Cebu island is the geographical center of this country. Cebu City, the capital of Cebu, has all the convenience any tourist can want. The metropolitan comfort, the nice beach, not that bad traffic, and being a compact city, makes getting around this city more 'touristy' than anywhere else.

There are probably 5 top reasons to come here this time:

1) See the Sinulog Festival 2010. It happens yearly, on the 3rd Sunday of January, to honor Cebu City's patron saint Sr. Sto. Nino. Witness the parade of colors and dances along the major thoroughfares of Cebu City. If you go around the city on this day, be ready to be on foot, as it is difficult to get on any vehicle as people will be walking along the streets.

2) The Sky is the limit. The very first in the world, experience going around the edge of the of Crown Regency hotel's 38th floor, by riding on a cart that tilts, and on the 37th floor, by walking, located just at the smack of Cebu City. You can also bring your kids to the 4D theater experience and watch a series of short movies on 4D format. International buffet is also served at the 19th floor, giving you a pleasant view of the entire city.

3) Imperial Palace Water park Resort and Spa. If you want to enjoy the beach, while having the thrill of the water rides, this place is for you. Designed for all ages, you'll get that beach feeling while submerged in the pool. Experience fun water rides and get luxurious hotel experience. Located at Mactan Island, a few minutes away from the Mactan International Airport, be ready for your ultimate water park experience.

4) A wide array of entertainment, food choices and relaxing mall experience. Cebu City has already been transformed into a 'mall rat' culture in just a decade, and you will never get disappointed with the wide array of shops and food establishments to choose from at Ayala Center Cebu or SM City Cebu. Asiatown IT Park at Lahug Cebu City is also a favorite destination for people who do not sleep. It's open until the wee hours of the morning as it is where callcenters are sprawling all over, offering a wide choices for dining, clubbing, and hanging out experience.

5) Cheap domestic and international flights always cater to local and international tourists. Book a flight earlier, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (Philippine time) and you will save tons which you can spend on dining, shopping, and getting around instead.

Cebu City is just the place to be!