Commentary: People's cooperation bolsters economic agenda
by EA Abasquez
San Jose, Antique (20 October) -- The Administration's fiscal reforms stand firm and the cooperation of the people continue to bolster the economic agenda.
The Government may have fallen short of the revenue target for September but this is an isolated setback as the BIR and other collecting agencies as well as our economic managers have already prepared an action plan to remain hitting the revenue targets and put forward effective measures to address the lackluster revenue collection performance of the month.
A renewed action plan will keep revenue train on course, in step with the overall positive outlook.
The Administration takes this as a challenge for the revenue collecting agencies to double their efforts in ensuring the country will be back on track in no time at all.
In the province, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) headed by Gil Alian Jr., Transportation Regulation Officer I explained that his office exerts earnest efforts to carry out the mandated functions. The three main tasks of LTO are Licensing, Registration and Apprehension.
In the process of performing its functions, Alian pointed out that the LTO local office has generated revenues in the amount of P19.488 million covering January to September 2006. If compared to 2005 revenues covering the same period, collections for January to September 2006 had increased by more than P3.239 million, an indication that the general trend of the economy in the province is improving.
The 2005 data on registration of new cars showed that there were 2,247 new vehicles that came into the province. For 2006, the number of new acquisition estimated to increase by about 10 to 20 percent. The total number of new registered vehicles include motor cycles, sports utility vehicles (SUV) and cars.
Alian pointed out that LTO has a continuing information campaign to educate new applicants of driver's license on the provisions of Republic Act No. 4136 - otherwise known as the Traffic Code of the Philippines. Seminars of this nature are conducted in municipalities upon request of local government units.
Meanwhile LTO enforces the "no-plate-no-travel" policy as a means to discourage the illegal use of vehicles. Strict compliance is enjoined as LTO plying squads will apprehend violators of traffic laws as provided for in R.A. No. 4136 including violations of the seat belt law, Alian added. (PIA) [top]
