ANGELES CITY – A product of the Ateneo De Manila University Law School will join the short list of councilors of First District Rep. Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin, who announced that the “die is cast” on his plans to run for mayor in 2013.
Atty. Niño Baltazar Yu Enriquez, who is also a certified public accountant, said in an e-mail to Punto that he had been a “long supporter” of Lazatin having helped him in a number of ways providing opinions on queries that helped his administration as mayor from 1998 to 2007.
“This time Congressman Lazatin did not ask me anymore to help him behind the scenes having invited me as part of the ticket to correct the wrongs done against the business community.
He told me that I am the right person to address the problem that has beset the business community,” added Enriquez, brother-in-law of former Balibago Barangay Captain Atty. Noel Flores.
“Lazatin acknowledged my expertise in my practice knowing fully well the complaints of the business community. One problem is unreasonable taxation without due process.
Businessmen have complained that their taxes and licenses for issuance of their business permits have been increased unreasonably without any basis and due process,” said the lawyer-CPA.
He added that businessmen had transferred offices to Mabalacat, Porac and City of San Fernando to avoid restrictive taxation.
He added that Lazatin vowed to redress the wrong done and he had asked him to be part of the machinery to set right what was wrongly done to the business community in this highly urbanized city.
Asked for his comments, Lazatin said “I go for quality” in choosing my councilor’s line-up made up of “only three candidates.”
“I want allies who will work for the benefit of the people and not themselves,” added Lazatin, who earlier said that businessmen had complained to him about the “exorbitant and high taxes” imposed by Mayor Edgardo “Ed” Pamintuan.
Pamintuan, an ally of Lazatin in the 2010 elections, earlier denied the accusations of the two-term solon, saying taxes of traders had been based on “near to the truth assessment of their annual income.”
Enriquez, member of Angeles City Lawyers Club, said he is “not a traditional politician and I am not used to promising anything under the sun.”
“But this I do promise, similarly in how I handle cases concerns of my clients, that I am a doer and I will promptly address the concerns of the constituency which forms part of the platform that has become the basis of my entry in this political derby,” he added.
