Sablan to get only P96-M 2023 NTA; mayor unfazed

By Liza Agoot 

SABLAN, Benguet -- Mayor Alfredo Dacumos said Sablan is ready to provide quality service to its constituents despite lower funding from the national government next year.
    "We will make both ends meet and we will work," said Dacumos in a phone interview on Friday.
    The town would only receive P96 million in its National Tax Allotment (NTA) share from the national government in 2023, which will form part of its P112-million budget.
    This is lower than this year's P112 million NTA received by the town and slightly higher than the P83 million NTA in 2021.
    Dacumos said the decrease in the town's NTA was a result of the national government's tax collection in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic struck and the economy was at a standstill.
    He, however, said they were ready to perform services linked to devolution despite challenges in personnel hiring and logistics-based issues.
    Sablan, which is along Naguilian Road and a 30-minute ride from Baguio City, is heavily reliant on the NTA, formerly known as the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
    With devolution of functions, Dacumos said local governments are responsible in implementing projects that used to be with national government agencies.

Such includes funding projects and personnel expenditures of workers who will also be devolved to the local government.

"We will slowly do the hiring of the personnel because we cannot afford to do it all at the same time. Multi-tasking is the possible immediate solution for now," he added.

He said they might already utilize their savings.

The town does not have major industries except the micro hydro power plant of Aboitiz Power which is a source of revenue that they share with other host local government units.

He added other revenues come from taxes paid by community stores and eateries aside from the limited real property taxes internally generated. -- PNA