Chatto urges bgy govts To be IRA independent

CAPITOL is coordinating with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in designing
capacity building trainings for barangay officials.

Governor Edgar Chatto revealed during his weekly radio program that along the resource generation
policy of the provincial government, he would urge newly elected barangay officials to seek out other
resources and find other income sources rather than rely on the Internal Revenue Allotment.

While saying that the interior and local governments have their capacity training modules to
capacitate local officials, towns and provinces, Chatto hinted that Capitol can come in and enrich the
modules to empower local governments in their revenue generation tasks.

The local dependence on the IRA has been a noted situation in almost all local governments, he told
media during his weekly forum carried live over local radio stations.

“We can meet so we can come up with measures on how to come up with a wider capacity for
resource generation,” Chatto said.

Chatto also stressed that along with the trainings, the new officials must understand that beyond
seeking more tax legislation measures, there is such a thing as efficient tax collection that can prop
up the fiscal capacity of the barangays.

We can be dependent on the IRA from the start but we shall struggle to stand and attain
independence in the end, he urges local elected leaders.

Meanwhile, in efforts to initially give clues to barangay officials who will start their official amdnates
on December 1, a radio program called “Pamuhis” has been airing at DyTR every Saturday from 4:00
to 4:30.

Anchored by the Philippine Information Agency, the program attempts to educate local government
officials especially barangay dads on the revenue sources for barangays and their possible areas for
widening its tax base.

The program, funded by the national government hopes to engage local governments to generate
income from their own sources and hopefully prop up the government’s fiscal capacity to implement
priority programs and projects. (PIABohol)

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