The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod is urging Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to allocate fifty percent of the amusement tax imposed from cockfighting activities to the culture and arts programs of the city.
The passed resolution authored by Councilor Em Ang said City Ordinance No. 413, or “An Ordinance Establishing the Arts and Culture Council of Bacolod City and mandating the annual Arts and Culture Program in the City of Bacolod,” for the preservation, promotion, and propagation of Filipino values through arts and culture.
The City Government of Bacolod is currently imposing a ten percent amusement tax on gross total ticket sales of cockfighting activities, it said.
The revenue generated from the amusement tax on cockfighting provides an opportunity to invest in and strengthen the cultural and arts programs within the City, the resolution said.
Enhancing cultural and artistic initiatives can foster creativity, community cohesion, and contribute to the city’s overall economic development, it said.
The aforesaid funds shall be kept in a Special Trust Fund under Section 2, Article 5 of City Ordinance No. 413, and shall only be disbursed by the Bacolod Culture and Arts Council, the resolution added.
(Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy by TVDS)