Awarded as the city’s Top 10 real property taxpayers were New City Commercial Center (NCCC); Hijo Resources Corporation; JS Gaisano Incorporated; Rubinos; Lorenzo/Lucila; NGA; Jacinto; Gaisano Center; Green Earth Marketing and Development Corporation; Dynasty Management and Development Corporation; and Pereyras, Mindaluz et al.
Citations also went to top 25 business tax payers led by New City Commercial Center (NCCC); Bachelor Express Incorporated; Coca Cola Bottlers Incorporated; JS Gaisano Incorporated; Davao Metro Shuttle; Davao Central Warehouse; Hijo Resources Corporation; Lapanday Fruits Corporation; Gaisano Center; Mercury Drug Corporation; Mercury Drugs; Avon Cosmetic Incorporated, Jollibee (Tagum Pioneer Foods Corp);
National Highway, Ace Conglomerate and Distributors; Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc.; Tagum Doctors Hospital Inc.; Tagum Commodities Corporation; Power Up Tires; Battery and Auto Supply; Herd sons Lumber; Greenwich Pizza Corporation; LYR Marketing; Land bank of the Philippines (LBP); Chowking (Tagum Best foods Corp.); and KAR ASIA.
Organizers said the awarding night dubbed Dekada Pasidungog (Decade of Recognition) highlighted the culmination rite of the 10th anniversary of Tagum as capital city of Davao del Norte.
Tagum, 55 kilometers north side of Davao City, became a component city on March 7, 1998 under President Fidel Ramos’ administration. It is a first class city with a total population of 224,809.
Records at the city treasurer office showed that the city’s income for 2007 reached P463,467, 002 million excluding the Internal Revenue Allocation (IRA) amounting to P295 million.
City Mayor Rey Uy told MindaNews that one of the city’s priority programs is to put up infrastructure projects that would attract potential investors. He said the city government would work harder to support the business sector.
In 2005, the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project cited Tagum as one of the 20 most viable and competitive business sites in the country.
Roland Bordios, Tagum city’s chamber of commerce and industry president, pointed out that the city lacks rooms to accommodate the growing number of visitors. He said the chamber is now inviting more businessmen to invest on hotels and restaurants in the city.
Bordios revealed that the Gaisanos of Cebu and Davao would soon put up big malls in Tagum.
“Job opportunities and livelihood would follow,” Uy said as he agreed that luck of employment opportunities and high prices of basic commodities would push most of the Filipinos down the poverty line.
Data released on Wednesday by the National Statistic Office (NSO) Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) showed that a family of five needs P6,274 a month to stay out of poverty and P4, 177 to meet all basic food needs.
Vice Mayor Allan Rellon said the city government has provided micro entrepreneurs opportunities to earn more income. He cited that the mayor has even allowed vendors to sell street foods along the periphery of the city’s Freedom Park near the city hall. (Alden Pantaleon, Jr./MindaNews)
