• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Another regular employee of the Bacolod City government is in hot water after allegedly posing as an authorized tax collector to pocket amusement taxes from business establishments without issuing receipts.
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya issued July 20 the show-cause order (SCO) to an employee of the City Treasurer’s Office Administrative Division, following receipts of sworn complaints from two establishment owners.
Per the affidavits, the employee personally collected a total of P8,500 in amusement taxes between December 2025 and January 2026, using an executive order and the mayor’s name to demand the money while promising receipts that never arrived.
“The amusement tax depends on how much the club will earn on a particular day, or if they have a specific activity. But accordingly, there was no activity on that day; an employee just went there to collect the amusement tax,” Atty. Vanesa Encabo of the City Legal Office (CLO) said.
Encabo said the city only collects amusement tax if there is a legitimate activity considered taxable.
The employee was given five calendar days to submit a verified written explanation under oath, detailing where the money went and why no formal charges should be filed.
Early this month, a CLO employee also received an SCO over allegations of not paying his bill from a bar at the Goldenfields Commercial Complex, grabbing an establishment worker, and threatening the business with closure by touting his connections with the City Legal Office inspection team. | TMD
