COTABATO CITY—The Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) has taken a significant step towards enhancing revenue collection by signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of Project REAL or the Revenue Enhancement Assistance for Local Government Units.
The signing ceremony, held on Friday, Jun 2, brought together representatives from five selected beneficiaries at the EM Manor Hotel and Convention Center in this city.
Project REAL, a pioneering program initiated by MILG, aims to provide comprehensive guidance to local governments on strategies to increase internally-generated revenue.
By diversifying and strengthening their revenue sources, these local government units will gain greater autonomy in funding their public service initiatives.
This year, Project REAL will target five local government entities: Buldon, Datu Blah Sinsuat, and Sultan Mastura in Maguindanao del Norte, as well as Pualas and Binidayan in Lanao del Sur.
Highlighting the program’s objectives, MILG Minister Atty. Naguibe Sinarimbo emphasized the need to reduce LGUs’ reliance on the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), also known as the National Tax Allocation (NTA), by bolstering and diversifying revenue sources. By doing so, revenue generation for LGUs will improve, gradually reducing their dependence on the IRA.
“The MILG provides capacity development through Project REAL to enable local government units to carry out their corporate powers in accordance with the Local Government Code of 1991, guided by the BARMM’s Enhanced 12-point Agenda to boost economic opportunities in the region through increased revenue generation,” Sinarimbo added.
Meanwhile, Datu Blah Sinsuat Municipal Mayor Datu Marshall Sinsuat acknowledged the significance of the project, saying that they are thankful to be one of the targeted LGUs despite being underperforming in revenue generation.
“I fully support the program that can assist us in generating revenue for our dear Datu Blah Sinsuat, and we are looking forward to improving our performance in the coming years,” Sinsuat added.
In addition to revenue generation, MILG Director-General Engr. Khalid S. Dumagay emphasized that Project REAL will contribute to overall development and bolster the region’s peace and order situation, further enhancing the socio-economic landscape. (Majid Nur/BIO)
