Carcar to ask for P273-M in ‘back IRA’

After the Supreme Court ruled with finality that Carcar in southern Cebu is a city, Mayor Nicepuro Apura announced that he will write to Budget Secretary Francisco Abad to ask for Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) dating back to 2007 when Carcar was declared a city.

Carcar City has a total “back IRA” of P273 million, said Apura, who delivered his first State of the City Adress in yesterday’s fourth anniversary of Carcar’s charter.

The city government will use the money to fund three priority projects: a diversion road, terminal with public market and livestock auction market, the mayor said.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said obtaining four years’ worth  of IRA will be “the next big fight” for the new Cebu cities.

In a speech, Rep. Eduardo Gullas of Cebu’s first district described the high court’s granting of cityhood to Carcar, Naga and Bogo as the end of a struggle.

He said  he shouted inside his car when he heard about the court’s decision, which  showed that the new cities deserved their status.

“We are not stepping on the rights of existing cities,” Gullas said.

Apura yesterday led the inauguration of  the Carcar City College  and a new facade for City Hall.

The college, which Apura cited among his achievements in his first State of the City Address, opened this year with 391 pioneering students.

It offers degrees in hotel administration, business administration, English and fisheries and agriculture.

Apura said the city spent P8 million for the college to date.

Garcia turned over a 10-classroom building  to the college. In her keynote address,  she announced a P4-million donation for the improvement of City Hall infrastructure.

Garcia said the cityhood of Bogo, Naga and Carcar means that the  province will no longer have a share of the localities’ property taxes.

She, however, assured that she will continue to help the localities since the first eight years  are considered crucial in a city’s growth.

The Supreme Court after a series of flip-flops recently  declared that 16 localities in the country including Carcar and Naga in Cebu’s south and Bogo in the north are cities.

Carcar was originally declared a city on July 7, 2007.

Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, Carcar City College students, Carcar City Senior Citizen’s Association members and barangay and city officials participated in the charter celebration, a holiday in the city.