Iloilo City has generated more than P3.1 million in taxes from two construction firms recently named by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as having cornered billions of pesos worth of flood-control projects.
Mayor Raisa Treñas said she directed the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) to conduct a sweeping review of more than 90 ongoing infrastructure projects of the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) funded under the General Appropriations Act from 2022 to 2025.
The review uncovered that St. Timothy Construction Corporation and Alpha and Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation had been implementing flood control projects in the city without valid Mayor’s Permits.
“This prompted us to enforce the necessary tax obligations and require full compliance with Iloilo City’s regulations,” Treñas said.
On August 28, St. Timothy Construction paid P2.33 million in taxes for three projects:
• Flood mitigation structures in Lapuz Section 1,
• Flood mitigation structures in Lapuz Section 2, and
• Waterways rehabilitation and coastal protection in Lapuz Section 1.
On the same day, Alpha and Omega settled P841,202.14 in taxes for its flood mitigation project under the Iloilo Flood Mitigation Project Section 2.
Treñas said that the CTO is now conducting regular on-site inspections to ensure all contractors secure the proper permits and settle the correct taxes before pursuing projects in the city.
Under local tax rules, contractors handling only one project may pay a one-time permit fee. However, firms with multiple projects must secure a regular business permit. For contractors without an office in Iloilo City, taxes are computed at 70 percent of the total contract cost.
The CTO warned that firms that continue to defy these rules would be ordered to cease operations in Iloilo City.IMT
