SUPPORT. RDC-13 chair and Dinagat Island Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. expresses full support on Friday (Nov. 18, 2022) to a legislative proposal to include municipal waters as a factor in the distribution of the National Tax Allocation for the local government units. On Nov. 14, Agusan del Norte 2nd District Representative Dale Corvera filed House Bill No. 6102 that seeks to amend Sec. 285 of the Local Government Code of 1991, which will include the municipal waters to the NTA. (PNA file photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. has welcomed the move made by Agusan del Norte 2nd District Representative Dale Corvera to include the municipal waters in the National Tax Allocation (NTA), as provided in Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.
“This is a good piece of legislation, and I believe that this will become a law as this will gain support by the other lawmakers,” said Demerey, concurrent chair of the Regional Development Council in the Caraga Region (RDC-13), in a phone interview Friday.
On Nov. 14, Corvera filed House Bill No. 6102 that seeks to amend Sec. 285 of RA 7160, which will include the municipal waters, aside from the land area and population, to the NTA.
“The proposed measure will bring justice to the island local government units (LGUs) in the country,” Demerey said.
In the Caraga Region, more than half of the total number of LGUs are situated in coastal areas.
The coastal municipalities are situated in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands.
“These municipal waters also become sources of livelihood, food, recreation, commerce and transportation,” Demerey noted.
As an archipelago, the Dinagat Islands governor said the inclusion of municipal waters as an additional factor in the computation of NTA is vital to the province's economic growth.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos appointed Demerey as RDC-13 chairperson last Oct. 19. (PNA
