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Sagada local officials told to improve tourist registration fee collection

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Adrian Ayalin, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -Local officials of Sagada, Mountain Province have been told to improve their collection of registration fees which currently exempts local residents, contrary to a municipal ordinance, a Commission on Audit report said. In the 2018 financial and compliance audit on the municipality of Sagada, state auditors said that in a walk-through of audit team members conducted on January 5, 2019, not all tourists were required to pay the P50 registration fee and those who were exempted from paying did not provide proof of residency.The report said that for calendar year 2018, the local government unit of Sagada posted a total collection of P7.591 million, which is 31.95% higher than their 2017 collection amounting to P5.751 million.“The officer-in-charge disclosed that residents of the municipality or tourists with Sagada as hometown address are exempted from paying registration fee. As to how said officer would know if a person is a resident or not is based solely on familiarity and the ability of the person to speak the local dialect,” the COA noted.It was however noted in the report that the municipality’s revenue code and ordinances provide that all tourists shall pay registration fees, without exceptions.Sales generated from registration fees are allotted for the maintenance of cultural properties, garbage collection, salaries of employees in tourism sites, among others.The audit report, however, noted that the local government agreed to the recommendation of COA to have the coverage of the term “tourist” revisited.“If local tourists who are either residents or with Sagada as hometown address are exempted from paying the tourist registration fees, require a proof of residency or any identification to avail of the exemption,” the COA said. State auditors also noted that there were not enough checkers to make sure that registration fees were paid by tourists entering popular Sagada tourist spots.Only four destinations, Sumaguing Cave, Lumiang Cave, Echo Valley, and Bomod-ok had checkers. Lake Danum, Pongas Falls and Bokong Falls lacked checkers.The COA said the officials of Sagada agreed to the recommendation that checkers will be assigned and partnerships with private guides association will be forged to ensure that income collection on registration fees is maximized.

Sales generated from registration fees are allotted for the maintenance of cultural properties, garbage collection, salaries of employees in tourism sites, among others.

Sales generated from registration fees are allotted for the maintenance of cultural properties, garbage collection, salaries of employees in tourism sites, among others.

Sagada local officials told to improve tourist registration fee collection

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Sagada local officials told to improve tourist registration fee collection

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 21, 2019 07:36 PM PHT

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Updated March 21, 2019 07:58 PM PHT

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COA

Commission on Audit

Sagada

tourism

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