PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) records the bulk of revenue collection from government remittances in the provinces of the MIMAROPA region.
Lawyer Eric Diesto, Officer-in-Charge Regional Director of BIR Region 9A-CABAMIRO, explained that government remittances support 85 percent of the collection coming from provinces of Mindoro (Oriental and Occidental) and Romblon through the withholding tax from projects.
“Government remittances, LGUs, and NGAs, 85 percent. Understandable and expected naman ‘yan for a small agricultural place like Romblon and also Mindoro. Kung titingnan mo kung anong industry ang nagko-contribute max sa Philippine economy, ganon din sa amin,” he said.
The region of CABAMIRO covers the provinces of Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro, and Romblon. The LAQUEMAR, which encompasses Laguna, Quezon, and Marinduque, includes the province of Marinduque. Palawan is also separated and is under the region covering the city of Manila.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Education (DepEd) generate a large number of remittances. Before a contractor receives the final payment tranche for a project with a department, the bureau also requires a certification from their office.
“Kung may project ang gobyerno, masaya kami don. Dahil ‘yong remittance, on the average ay 85 percent, kung bumagsak ang remittance ng DPWH at DepEd, mino-monitor namin diyan. Puspusan ang coordination namin dyan with their accountants and heads of office,” Diesto said.
Government remittances supplement the income from trading in Marinduque. In addition to government remittances, the province of Palawan relies on construction, tourism, such as resorts, and power generation for its revenue collection.
The government remittances also reflect on the national revenue collection. The next major contributors to the national collection are retail and services, particularly in the medical sector. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
