CLARK FREEPORT – The first-class municipality of Mabalacat continued to reap national awards on sound fiscal management, recently winning a “seal of good housekeeping” from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
DILG Sec. Jessie Robredo gave the Mabalacat local government unit the award “in recognition of this municipality’s outstanding performance and exemplary practice in the areas of Sound Fiscal Management and Full Compliance to the Disclosure Policy of the Seal of Good Housekeeping for Local Government.”
Mayor Marino “Boking” Morales thanked Robredo for the “award that gave them inspiration to work harder.”
“Of course, the employees and officials of our town are the ones truly responsible for the award related to sound fiscal management. I am just an instrument,” said Morales.
The DILG’s award came just as Mabalacat guns for third straight 1st place among the first and second class municipalities implementing the streamlining program in the issuance of Mayor’s Permit, said Budget Officer Roger Tanglao.
He disclosed that if Mabalacat wins the same award next year, they will be considered hall-of-famer.
Morales appointed Tanglao as head of the business permit division in 2006. His decision worked to advantage of the LGU as Tanglao raised the gross income to more than double the following year.
In 2006, Mabalacat collected some P13 million. The next year, Tanglao’s group managed to get at least P32 million.
In 2011, the Morales government got some P35 million in revenues from the business permit division, according to Tanglao.
“Since 2007 to this day, we average more than P30 million per year,” he added. Morales said the “secret is not increasing taxes but collecting well and properly.”
