City to recompute Rallos lot tax dues

The ongoing review of the Rallos lot case may end up favoring the Cebu City government after all.

City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva said her office is now reviewing its earlier computations on the tax delinquency of the property located in Sambag II.

She said that once the computation would be completed, the city government would then know how much it should collect from the heirs of Rallos.

The late Vicente Rallos owns a 4,654 square-meter property in Sambag II which the city used as a road in 1963.

Oliva said the property tax dues that the City Treasurer’s Office computed earlier were based on the assessed value of the property of P4,500 per square meter set many years back.

She said the property is now valued at P9,500 per square meter.

Using its current market value, Oliva said they had to recompute the amount of taxes which the Ralloses had to pay the city.

The Regional Trial Court has asked the city to pay the Ralloses P9,500 per square meter of the property or a total of P44.2 million computed with a 12 percent per annum interest.

With the computation, the city owes the Ralloses a total of P224 million. Of the amount, P34.9 million was already ordered garnished by the court while another P21.3 million was paid in 2009.

Mayor Michael Rama said he wanted to know if there was basis for the imposition of the 12 percent interest.

Rama said he also wanted the property checked for unpaid taxes that might spare the city from  paying the Ralloses.

Meanwhile, members of the Cebu City Council scheduled an executive session this morning to discuss the Rallos lot claims.

Councilors have invited Oliva, city legal officer Joseph Bernaldez and city planning officer Alipio Bacalso to their afternoon executive session.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said the council wanted to know where the property was located and its case history. /Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac