Tagbilaran City Councilor Fausto “Pepot” Budlong has proposed an ordinance that would allow the government to collect fees from telecommunications firms for cellular sites erected within the city.
According to Budlong, proposed ordinance “Imposing Regulatory Fee on Cellsites in the City of Tagbilaran” was approved in its first reading on Friday last week.
“Ang syudad wa gyud makakuha og buwis aning mga cell towers kay wa man tay ordinansa so atong gi gam-an para pud ang mga nag operate anang mga cell site atong ma buwisan kay dako baya pud na og income sila,” said Budlong.
The initiative is expected to yield an estimated P3.7 million annually for the city.
According to Budlong he plans to collect an annual fee of P60,000 from the telecom networks for each of their cellular towers.
He estimated that there are around 60 cell sites in the city.
According to Budlong, the City Council is set to invite representatives from telecommunications firms to discuss the proposed ordinance.
A public hearing on the matter is tentatively set for September 14.
“By tomorrow, mo send out na ta og mga invitation sa Globe, Smart and other platers kay mag public hearing na ta,” said Budlong. (R. Tutas)