Former Cebu lawmaker lauds PB’s rejection of APO P1B tax compromise deal

Local

THE Cebu Provincial Board has rejected a proposed P1-billion tax compromise deal with Apo Land and Quarry Corp. (ALQC).

This has drawn praise from former Cebu 3rd District Rep. Pablo John Garcia, who called the move a stand for ordinary taxpayers.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, April 7, Garcia commended the board for turning down the proposal, which would have significantly reduced the cement firm’s tax liabilities to the province.

“I congratulate my friends at the Provincial Board of Cebu for rejecting the P1 billion tax break,” Garcia said, adding that the board “listened” to public sentiment.

The issue centers on the Province of Cebu’s tax assessment against Apo Land and Quarry Corporation, which reached about P1.218 billion. This covers quarry taxes, monitoring fees, and environmental charges accumulated from 2009 to 2025.

A proposed compromise agreement sought to reduce the amount to around P211.56 million, equivalent to roughly an 80 percent discount, subject to approval by the Provincial Board.

Garcia questioned the fairness of granting such relief to a large corporation.

“Why give a billionaire corporation that could well fend for itself a privilege that we are not giving ordinary Cebuanos who dutifully pay provincial taxes, charges and fees without discount?” he said.

He also criticized the scale of the proposed reduction.

“Ngano’ng hatagan man hinuon ang usa ka adunahan nga korporasyon… og 80 percent nga diskwento?” he added.

Garcia said he had concerns that approving the deal could expose the Provincial Board to legal risks if the agreement were later challenged.

“I feared that, if the deal was approved… and was declared ‘grossly disadvantageous to the government,’ my friends at the Provincial Board would be necessarily implicated,” he said.

He also framed the issue against the backdrop of rising fuel prices and increasing costs of basic goods, urging officials to prioritize measures that directly benefit the public.

“Sa panahon sa krisis, maghisgot unta kita’g mga alibyo ug solusyon sa mga problema sa ordinaryong Sugboanon,” he said.

The proposed settlement had earlier sparked tension within the Capitol, with Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro defending the plan and denying claims of preferential treatment toward the company.

Baricuatro said the proposal originated from the firm’s legal representatives and was based on arguments that certain extraction fees may not be collectible from privately owned lands.

She also cited a previous compromise deal entered by the province in 2023, when the Provincial Board authorized then-governor Gwendolyn Garcia to settle with another mining firm, reducing obligations from about P856 million to P56 million.

The governor had challenged critics, including Vice Gov. Glenn Anthony Soco, amid debates over the proposed agreement.(TGP)