The local government of Manila collected more than P93 million in unpaid taxes from contractors of flood control projects, Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso announced Thursday.
In a Facebook Live broadcast, Domagoso said 140 of the 315 projects monitored from 2022 to 2025 have now complied with their tax obligations. The remaining 175 projects still owe the city more than P127 million.
“We will not stop here,” Domagoso said. “As long as we see them in our investigation, we will still go after them.”
The announcement comes a week after the mayor warned that contractors with P247 million in unpaid taxes would be blacklisted if they did not comply. At that time, city records showed only nine projects had settled their taxes, totaling P8.09 million.
The city issued notices to projects tracked through the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” platform and its own monitoring efforts. Contractors who fail to pay will be barred from securing new permits from the city and will be elevated to the Department of Public Works and Highways for inclusion on its national blacklist.
“If you’re going to hire said contractors, who are not following simple rules and obligations, they will no longer be able to do business in Manila,” Domagoso said, adding that the city is prepared to file civil and criminal cases against those who refuse to pay.