P1 thousand each?

Ben Contreras

IN view of the report given by a driver of a businessman that Oscar Moreno’s camp is allegedly giving P1 thousand each to those who attend their “tipon-tipon,” I would like to revisit the issue about how much really is the income of the city.

What are the facts?

Nobody knows the real income of the city except the mayor, the city treasurer, the city accountant and perhaps, the city budget officer.

The highest reported income during the Emano administration was P2.4 billion, although some would say it was more or less P3 billion. Did Emano and his councilors make money out of the unknown income? That we do not know. But through the years, his allies became rich.

The Moreno administration is quite phenomenal. It took less than two years to make some of his trusted men and women super rich.

How much is the city government making in term of taxes? According to city treasurer Glenn Bañez, P7 billion is attainable and with a potential for P11 billion to P12 billion. So, how much did the current administration report? It’s a few hundred millions more than the income reported by the Emano administration.

Holy cow! What happened to the additional income brought about by the steep taxes imposed on the business sector? Nawala? How many Ajinomoto cases were there that we do not know?

No wonder they can buy flashy cars, build classy houses, and buy prime lots in the city. And what has COA been doing or the agency that is supposed to conduct lifestyle checks? Dili lugar sila mutuo ini?

According to a friend, a relative of the mayor, they bought several vehicles and these are allegedly being used without the car plates.

So where is the money coming from? My guess is, from the unknown and unreported income of the city.

Am I surprised that the Moreno camp is giving out 1K? I’m not. It is expected especially when one is determined to get reelected. And if some people would continue to pretend they do not know anything about Moreno, then they are not what they try to portray themselves in public.

When Bañez was accused of owning an expensive house, he claimed it was a rented house and that Moreno was paying for it. Wow, where is the money coming from? With so many extracurricular activities, would the mayor still have the money to pay for Bañez’s house? Is money pouring like water for Moreno?

Of course, nobody wants to know, not his allies, not those who benefited from him, and not those who may have had intimate relationship with him.

Never mind intimacy. Never mind fat commissions. Never mind overpricing. Never mind “kung dunay kawat.” What did US President Ronald Reagan say? “I don’t mind if he is a sonofa@#$%& for as long as he is our SOB.”

1K, anyone!