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Jul
31
Want to report any crime in Las Pinas? Take note of these numbers.
Filed Under Las Piñas, News | Leave a Comment
Is there a suspicious-looking individual roaming around your village or your street? Is there a motorcycle-riding invidual passing your house every so often? Did you hear gunshots in your neighborhood?
Then take note of these very important numbers of the Las Pinas Police:
Las Pinas Police Station – 0908-8842558 or 0907-8979673 or 874-9201
Patrol 117 (metrowide)
PNP Text – 2920
Las Pinas Chief of Police P/Sr. Supt. Romulo Sapitula – 0917-8983333
Jul
28
SC okays VAT on Toll
Filed Under Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, News, Paranaque | Leave a Comment
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court upheld Friday the decision of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to impose a 12 percent value-added tax (VAT) on toll paid by motorists for the use of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex).
In a decision written by Justice Roberto A. Abad, the SC said that the BIR commissioner did not usurp his prerogative or expand the coverage of the VAT law when he sought the imposition of VAT on toll.
“The VAT on franchise grantees has been in the statute books since 1994 when Republic Act No. 7716 or the Expanded Value Added Tax law was passed. It is only now, however, that the executive has earnestly pursued the VAT imposition against tollway operators,” it stressed.
The SC pointed out that “what the government seeks to tax here are fees collected from tollways that are constructed, maintained, and operated by private tollway operators at their own expense under the build, operate, and transfer scheme that the government has adopted for expressways.”
“Thus, the seller remains directly and legally liable for payment of the VAT, but the buyer bears the burden since the amount of VAT paid by the former is added to the selling price. Once shifted, the VAT ceases to be a tax and simply becomes part of the cost that the buyer must pay in order to purchase the good, property, or service,” it said.
The SC also said that “VAT on tollway operations cannot be a tax on tax even if toll is deemed as a ‘user’s tax’… since VAT is assessed against the tollway operator’s gross receipts and not necessarily on the toll fees.”
With the ruling, the SC denied the petition filed by former Nueva Ecija Rep. Renato V. Diaz, who was co-author of the E-VAT Law, and former Trade Assistant Secretary Aurora Ma. F. Timbol.
Diaz and Timbol challenged the imposition of VAT on toll by the Department of Finance (DoF) through the BIR.
At first, the DoF and the BIR questioned the petition filed by Diaz and Timbol claiming that the SC has no jurisdiction over petitions for declaratory relief.
But setting aside procedural technicalities, the SC decided to rule on the petition since the VAT on toll has far-reaching implications on motorists and the public.
“To dismiss the petition and resolve the issues later, after the challenged VAT has been imposed, could cause more mischief both to the tax-paying public and the government. A belated declaration of nullity of the BIR action would make any attempt to refund to the motorists what they paid an administrative nightmare with no solution,” the SC said.
With the SC decision, commuters called on the BIR to withdraw its plan to impose VAT on toll, saying doing so will only pave the way for another round of fare hikes in public utility vehicles (PUVs).
Elvira Media, president of the National Council for Commuter Protection (NCCP), said the Aquino administration should reconsider its plan to tax tollway operations as it will not only burden motorists using expressways, but also commuters who ride PUVs plying routes that are linked by the six operational tollways in Luzon.
Despite the SC ruling, Medina said the government has the choice not to burden commuters by withdrawing its plan to impose VAT on toll, which she said will likely be a ground for PUV operators to seek fare hike anew. Previous fare hikes were approved mainly because of increasing prices of petroleum products.
“Government has no control over oil price hikes but it has control over the plan to impose VAT on toll. If the Aquino administration really considers the public as its boss, BIR should withdraw its plan to impose VAT on toll so that fare rates will not increase again,” Medina said.
If government cannot help but tax expressway users to generate revenues, Medina said it should “exempt PUVs from the coverage of VAT on toll at the least” in deference to commuters already burdened by the successive fare hikes implemented early this year.
“But in the long term, government should be creative in generating funds for its operations. It should make plans other than extracting money from taxpayers, who are already burdened by the rising cost of basic goods and services and dismayed with the failed petition to increase minimum wage rate,” she added.
Medina said she will meet Senator Ralph Recto, author of the Expanded VAT Law enacted in 2005, to discuss what legal remedy is available to prevent the imposition of VAT on toll. Recto and incumbent Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said BIR’s move to impose VAT on toll is illegal and has no basis.
“The SC’s interpretation of the law should not contradict that of the author. NCCP will go back to the author of the law and plan what to do next from there,” she said.
The VAT on toll should have been implemented on August 16, 2010 if not for the TRO that the SC issued against it. With the SC’s ruling, public consultations on the looming toll increase will be revived by the TRB. (With a report from Kris Bayos)
What are your reactions on this?
Jul
27
Driver of the fallen bus in Skyway fell asleep or was racing with another bus?
Filed Under Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, News, Paranaque | Leave a Comment
From journal.com.ph:
Published : Thursday, July 28, 2011 00:00
Written by : Joel dela Torre
THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board suspended the franchise of Dimples Star Transport Corp. after one of its buses fell 40 feet from the Skyway in Parañaque City Tuesday, killing three persons and wounding seven others.
LTFRB chairman Nelson Laluces ordered the 30-day preventive suspension against the bus firm. Twenty other buses of Dimples Star will be covered by the suspension order.
The LTFRB ordered the suspension after an investigation showed that the Dimples Star bus that fell from the Skyway ramp was out of line.
Laluces added the bus units of Dimples Star plying the route of Muntinlupa to Quiapo were only allowed to use Sucat Road.
Authorities said the bus fell due to over-speeding and not because of heavy rains as claimed by conductor Jonathan Alebar.
Eduardo Nepomuceno, Skyway O&M Corporation’s special operations head, said their investigation showed that bus driver Joven Justol Pampilon was racing against another passenger bus prior to the accident.
He said it was also possible that the driver fell asleep as the bus was traversing Pier 6, Sucat going to Alabang.
The bus was cruising the Skyway amid heavy downpour when the driver lost control of the steering wheel and fell 40 feet from the Skyway ramp and landed on the service road.
“It could have been driver’s error,” Nepomuceno said.
Pampilon was killed along with his two passengers Anthony Abarra, 21, and Lorenzo Gabo, 27.
Alebar and passengers Rene Mendez, 34, Gerardo Frisco, 37, and Catherine Josol, 33 were taken to the South Super Highway Medical Center for treatment. All of them were declared out of danger.
The Skyway management is urging the bus company to compensate the victims.
With Alvin Murcia
Jul
26
P’que forms Task Force Manila Bay; Clean Manila Bay soon?
Filed Under News, Paranaque | Leave a Comment
In compliance to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (R.A. 9003); Supreme Court Mandamus G.R. 171947-48; and pertinent DILG directives, the City Government of Parañaque under the administration of Mayor Florencio Bernabe, Jr. formed the Parañaque City Task Force for Manila Bay Clean-up, Preservation and Rehabilitation.
R.A. 9003 mandates all LGUs to adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program while the Supreme Court writ directs city and municipal governments to clean-up, rehabilitate and preserve the rivers and all tributaries in their territorial jurisdictions that eventually discharge water into Manila Bay.
In the recent task force orientation/meeting coordinated by the DILG Parañaque Office, priorities were set, among them the inspection of factories, commercial establishments and private homes along the Parañaque River and waterways in the city based on the rationale that the waste water and solid waste these firms and households generate despoil our river system, pollute our seas and destroy marine life and at the same time, pose health hazards to the community and citizenry.
As initial measure, the City Planning Office prepared a consolidated list and General information System map of factories, commercial establishments and private homes as provided by the Assessor’s Office, Business Permits and Licensing Office, Urban Mission Areas Development Office and the Electronic Data Processing Office which will be used by the inspection team.
Also, the City Environment and Natural Resources/Solid Waste and Environmental Sanitation Office (CENRO/SWAESO) started a complementary program where survey forms are mailed to factories, commercial establishments and private homes to study their waste characteristics. The study intends to find out the quantity and composition of waste generated in each sector. The first batch of survey forms have already been sent to restaurants and the data collected will be used for the City’s Solid Waste Management 10-Year Plan.
In a related development, officials and employees of the Parañaque LGU and various barangay government units (BGU), joined by residents participated in the Parañaque River Clean-up which has been slated for Saturday, July 23, 2011 and every two weeks thereafter as part of the synchronized clean-up drive of all major and minor river systems, waterways and creeks all over Metro Manila and Regions III and IV-A as ordered by the Dept. of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Meanwhile, the one week massive clean-up drive in Barangay Tambo, this city under the Lingap sa Barangay-Parañaque Ko, Love Ko! Program unfolded on Friday, July 22, 2011. The combined teams of MMDA, P’que LGU and BGU personnel pruned/trimmed roadside trees; hauled construction debris and spoils; bundled aerial cables; removed road and sidewalk obstructions, illegally placed posters and tarpaulins; de-clogged drainages and waterways; mowed grass; and conducted (anti-dengue) misting operations in public schools in the said barangay. For its awareness campaign, the group distributed fliers on dengue prevention and disaster preparedness, as well as the government’s anti-littering campaign and anti-smoking ban.
Jul
26
Has anyone actually tried to bribe the guards in BF Homes Paranaque? For what? For entry?
We heard of past stories that you can enter the village for just P20 (like in Friendship Route in Las Pinas). But we guess those days are over.
Be warned. Do not try to bribe the guards there. Or you will be refused entry.
PS.
No, the person in the photo did not try to bribe the guards. He was merely passing by.
