Minority Floor Leader North District City Councilor Nestor Archival expressed opposition to enacting the revised Real Property Tax (RPT) Code for Cebu City.

Archival, who was declared as a possible mayoralty bet for Bando Osmena Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), made such reaction in Mayor Michael Rama's call for the implemented of the updated RPT Code which is on its second round of deliberation before the City Council.

"I will do my best to argue that our real property tax cannot be raised. In case the majority really passes the ordinance to increase the real property tax, then my first order should I become mayor and Tommy Osmena, my vice mayor, and together with me is the full BOPK slate, is to suspend the implementation of the increase," Archival said.

The Cebu City council is now deliberating on increasing not the tax rate itself, which will remain the same at three percent, but the fair market values on which the assessed values (the values that will be multiplied by the tax rate) will be based.

Archival cited that if the ordinance is enacted, he will ask the council members to amend the tax ordinance and revert to the previous tax rate so the business sector and the general public will not face difficult in paying taxes.

He disclosed that the proposed RPT amendment is being discussed among stakeholders including drivers and religious leaders as 95 percent of them expressed that they have yet to recover from the effects of Corona virus pandemic and super typhoon Odette(Rai) and they are not for their RPT to increase considerably.

As he insisted that the City should conduct public hearings in every Barangay to apprise the public about the new RPT.

Rama's mismanagement, and the lack of control, forecasting, and prioritization is observed.

Archival pointed out numerous errors in the management of City Hall, citing the P2 billion out of the P8.4 billion collected was allocated for personal services.

As Archival believes that if the existing funds are well managed, there is no need to implement the revised RPT.

The mismanagement of funds was evident in the City's budget allocation for shirts in every activity, as well as allocations for stays in luxurious hotels and meals in expensive restaurants.

DAILY TRIBUNE tried interviewing Mayor Rama but as of this writing, he has not yet replied.