BLOGISTA
By Cha Monforte
Newly chosen Tagum Press Ombudsman, businessman Cesar Cuntapay doesn’t think so that the city will be much affected by the current global financial crisis. In his point of view as the chair of a consumer’s group in the city, he said that “Tagum can stand on its own feet”. He said that this is seen in the way the city taxpayers are religiously paying their taxes with subservience even under the high and so much taxation schemes of the city government. “They are left with no choice except to pay taxes,” he said.
Cuntapay visibly equates the city consumers he wants to protect to the paying taxpayers. He must have been bedazzled by a question from the local press. He has the right to say that, but isn’t taxes meant for the good of the people? So that we could have so much funds for development if we could squeeze further the people, especially the cheating businessmen to pay their right taxes to the government. Just give what is due to Cesar- he has a right to still open his mind now when the electoral mood is forthcoming- it’s almost December, regardless that he lost in his crack for the congressional post the last time. But I find many of his opinions to be ranging from rational to practical if not- cool huh?
Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario during the last time he blamed the pole-vaulting growers with harsh words -short of saying dah gigabaan lagi mo! – was optimistic that the province could be spared by the global depression for being a largely agricultural province. Our provincial economy is not much tied to the workings of international banks. This is a blessing although when the Press Secretary Jess Dureza said we have to prepare for the storm, he might have meant that the storm would come in seeing our share of OFWs returning home in droves to be with us by Christmas or early next year when their employers could no longer withdraw their deposits as banks abroad close shop and stock exchange markets tumble one after another.
We pray there would be no alien, strange repercussions to our local economies by the next movement of the present world in fear of depression worst than the last one in the 30s. Like what if what our vast banana markets abroad would be affected by the present financial storm, and domino effects would sooner come threatening to crash down our Davnor and Comval banana plantations to smithereens? In such unwanted spectre, our tens of thousands of banana workers will be thrown out from their jobs and livelihood, massive hunger would come, high crime index would further rise while the banana barons and growers, pole-vaulting and non pole-vaulting alike, will lose their dollar income sources. In such doomed afterthought, the fortress Tadeco collapses as well as the banana exporting firm that remains to the del Rosarios will go banana. Then banana economics determines Davnor politics. What if the global storm barrels through the world out here with two political kingdoms made out from the rubrics of bananas? I’m facing a blank wall on this except on new realignment of political forces and a changing of political landscape in the province, our number 1 banana exporter. (For online edition, visit my blog at: http://cha4t.wordpress.com)
Filed under: cesar cuntapay, tagum overtaxation, cesar cuntapay, city mayor uy, davao del norte banana politics, gov del rosario, tagum city taxation
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