The Taguig City government has increased the benefits it extends to veteran officers of World War II and granted a monthly allowance to bona fide war veterans residing in the city. Mayor Lani Cayetano made this announcement during the Feb. 23 rites marking the 70th anniversary of Taguig’s liberation from Japanese forces. A series of ordinances recently approved by the city council granted the increases in recognition of the veterans’ sacrifices during the war. “We should reflect on the heroism of these few good Filipinos who stood their ground for the sake of our freedom. It has been a while since their monthly allowance had been increased and now is the time to increase the financial assistance being given to them by the City of Taguig,” Cayetano said in a statement. Under Ordinance No. 53, Series of 2014, which was approved in December, a veteran with a position of district commander in the Veterans Federation of the Philippines-Taguig-Pateros will receive P7,000 monthly, from the previous P2,000; the vice commander will get P6,500, from the previous P1,500; and P6,000, from the previous P1,000 for the concurrent secretary, clerk or post commanders. For living WWII veterans residing in Taguig, the local government granted a monthly allowance of P5,000 for those listed in the official roster. Under Ordinance No. 54, meanwhile, the council raised the burial assistance for recognized veterans and their spouses to P20,000, from the previous P10,000. Under Ordinance No. 55, the monthly honorarium of Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) personnel in the Taguig-Pateros district will now be P1,500, from the previous P500.
Bureau of Internal Revenue, palabok stores, unpaid value-added tax
BIR padlocks QC palabok store
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has shuttered a pancit palabok seller in Quezon City due to unpaid value-added taxes (VAT) totaling P1.49 million. In a statement, the BIR cited records showing that 3J Palabok Delight, which holds office on Filinvest Road, Batasan Hills, was a registered non-VAT payer and had been filing its monthly percentage tax returns. But according to the BIR, the palabok store owned by Analyn C. Pajes violated the VAT Law as it failed to register as a VAT payer when its declared gross receipts during the taxable years 2011 to 2013 exceeded the threshold amount for mandatory VAT registration. The VAT Law or Republic Act No. 9337 sets the gross receipts threshold at P1.9 million. The company did not comply with the requirements after the agency issued a 48-hour and a five-day VAT compliance notices. The closure order was issued by BIR Deputy Commissioner Nelson Aspe in line with Oplan Kandado, a campaign against noncompliant business establishments that was launched by Commissioner Kim Henares in January 2009. Ben O. de Vera