Written By Romy Teruel
Columnist
Bohol Sunday PostI have not seen or heard of a local government unit (LGU) that has not complained of lack of funds for its development programs. As a matter of fact, lack of funds has become a ready and convenient answer of LGU officials every time they are asked why they have not addressed certain development issues.
While this is true, lack of funds has become an excuse of many LGU officials for doing nothing and still hope that in the next elections the voters will understand them and still elect them to office.
But to real development managers, the problem of lack of funds can be viewed as an opportunity, more than a problem, to look at other avenues or means to raise more revenues for the LGU.
Last week six cities converged in Tagbilaran City to review their experience in implementing the Philippine Regional and Municipal Development Project (PRMDP) that was funded by the Government of Australia five years ago. These were the Cities of General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Puerto Princesa, Bacolod and Tagbilaran.
PRMDP zeroed in on Geographical information System (GIS) and Electronics Tax Revenue Assessment and Collection System (e-TRACS) as tools in improving and increasing tax and non-tax revenues by local government units. Other municipalities and cities also came to find out whether the successful implementation of the systems can be replicated in their LGUs.
The six cities showed how the implementation of both systems have helped them collect more revenues specially in real property tax collections and in business permits and licensing. GIS has helped them in planning and pinpointing development directions and thrusts thereby prioritizing where priority is due.
What is important is that they have pledged to help interested LGUs to implement same.
There is one solution to the problem of lack of funds. In this age of the information and communication technology (ICT) LGUs that do not use it as a tool for development will surely be left behind.
Iligan City has shown in concrete terms how e-TRACS has increased its revenues despite the closure of National Steel Corporation that used to contribute about 60 % of their income.
ICT can be the means to that independence from internal revenue allotment (IRA) that LGUs have been aspiring for. Only when that happens can LGUs truly say they have met the objectives of R.A. 7160 of making them autonomous and self-reliant.
Another area worth trying in order to increase locally generated revenues is in the field of public enterprise management. This is one area where very few LGUs have tried mainly because of the observation that has now become a popular belief that government, especially LGUs, is never good at running a business.
Well, the province of Bohol is going into that. It has just finished the training of its people on public enterprise management with funding support from the Australian Government through the Philippine Australia Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF).
Gov. Erico B. Aumentado is eying as initial targets the Chocolate Hills Complex in Carmen and the idle assets of the provincial government in Tagbilaran City and other municipalities.
Resourcefulness and a little daring to try the less trodden road can be the keys to the perennial problem of lack of funds.
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