BINALONAN, Pangasinan—Fight looms between Mayor Ramon Guico Jr. of this town and the provincial government as the mayor refuses to remit to the provincial treasurer’s office the collected real property taxes (RPT) here because of “unfulfilled promises” of Gov. Victor Agbayani.
Guico, also the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines gave this challenge to Agbayani in a phone interview with this writer, saying,” Why not show us where the RPT is being spent?”
He added,” Kalokohan lang yan. Saan ba napupunta yan? Walang bumabalik na projects naman sa amin (That’s foolishness. Where is it spent? Nothing goes back to us)”.
He chided Agbayani for his promises which remain unfulfilled. He said these are the asphalting of roads in barangays Sili, Moreno, Camanggaan and Sta. Catalina which the governor pledged to undertake even before the 2004 elections.
He said only inspection and survey were made by the engineering brigade of the provincial government prompting him to do the projects himself.

Fifth district Rep. Mark Cojuangco whose jurisdiction includes this town wants the road widened from four meters to six. This caused delay in the construction because Agbayani allegedly doesn’t want to implement the project without the approval first of Cojuangco because the provincial government could only do it at four meters wide.
“It’s his fault,” Guico said, referring to Agbayani. He said he even requested that the provincial government would just lend its asphalt paver so the projects could be implemented soon but to no avail.
“So pinagawa ko na. Ano’ng parte nila? Wala. (So I had it done. What’s their part? Nothing.),” Guico said.
The town has not remitted its RPT for 2005 to the provincial treasurer’s office which could already amount to two million pesos.
Guico said he is ready to face them (provincial government) should this matter reach legal battle.
The collected amount which Guico failed to quantify how much is deposited in a bank under the municipal government’s account.
“What do they want to happen? We just collect for them?,” Guico said.
“Napipika na ako sa kanila (I get peeved with them),” he added.
Lawyer Virgilio Solis, provincial administrator, told this writer in a separate phone interview that the mayor should understand that the province has several concerns in funding projects.
He said 65 percent of the collected RPT goes to the municipal government while 35 percent is for the provincial government. One half of the amount that goes to the province goes to the General Fund which is appropriated by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) for various concerns as part of its operations while the other half goes to the School Board Fund for construction of school buildings for the towns and cities, he added.
When asked about Guico’s statements, he said ,” We are not confrontational”.
He added that “We will do it in accordance with law and diplomacy”.
“We have to talk about this matter well,” he said, adding that he will initiate a dialogue with the mayor soon.
He said there is a sanction under the law for unremitted RPT but he said,” Di na natin paabutin dun (We will not let it reach that point).”
Solis also belied Guico’s statements that the provincial seemed to have forgotten this town as alleged by the mayor. “In fact, we have already spent about P25 million combined amount of project in that town for the past several years under the governor’s term,” he added.
He added that Guico must understand that the province is so big, with 44 towns and three cities under it excluding Dagupan City which is a chartered city, thus the budget needs to be prioritized.
Guico was Agbayani’s vice gubernatorial tandem when the governor sought his first term in 1998.