Duterte orders probe of Phividec-MisOr tax scam
Bulao River (top photo) along Country Homes Cypress Village in Cainta is blamed for flooding in most towns of Rizal. Lower photo shows a local disaster team removing a fallen tree along Olalia Road in Antipolo City at the height of heavy rains.
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: President Rodrigo Duterte ordered an investigation of the alleged P2-billion tax anomaly in the government-run industrial economic zone in Misamis Oriental, former Rep. Benjo Benaldo said on Wednesday.
Benaldo, member of the Philippine dent, through Secretary Bong Co, has Veterans Investment Development given the go signal to conduct an inCorp. (Phividec) board of directors, vestigation of the alleged tax anomaly has exposed the alleged non-payment in an effort to recover the taxes due to of taxes by multi-national companies the national government. currently operating in the Phividec He said President Duterte was Ecozone in Misamis Oriental. glad that the issue was exposed
In an interview with TheManila and a no non-sense investigation Times, Benaldo said that the Presi- could be done.
in the Phividec in Misamis Oriental Ecozone might be summoned to shed light on the alleged tax anomaly.
Benaldo made mention of Steag Mindanao International Container Terminal (MICT), and the Philippine Sintering Corp. as among the multi - cies amounting to about P1-billion.
Steag belied the accusation in a press statement, saying that the has been religiously paying the taxes to the government since it started operation about 10 years ago.
Benaldo, however, asked the Steag Power plant to show proof of pay- ments contrary to records. He said the Phividec accountant and legal department is now collating records of the various unpaid taxes involving rentals and properties of about 80 companies operating in the 3,500-hectare Misamis Oriental Ecozone.
He added that Phividec will not hesitate to file anti-graft charges - glected their mandate to collect taxes against the tenants doing business in the industrial zone.
The state-run Phividec industrial Ecozone was created in 1974 in various areas in the country to operate, administer and manage attractive economic zones in collaboration with the local government units.