ISABELA Governor Rodolfo Albano III expressed his full support to the initiative of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) seeking the release of the Tobacco Fund, under Republic Act (RA) 4155, to fund various projects of the agency under the Sustainable Tobacco Enhancement Program.
The governor announced his commitment in his meeting with the NTA officials led by Administrator and CEO Belinda S. Sanchez at the Isabela provincial capitol in Ilagan City on May 9.
“I’m fully supporting the move of the NTA on taking the lead of luring the tobacco-producing local government units (LGUs) to make a unified stand asking the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the release of the RA 4155 tobacco fund for the enhancement of the local tobacco industry,” Governor Albano said.
He also asked the NTA to prepare a resolution for the immediate release of the tobacco fund for signature by the governors and the members of local chapters of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) that are tobacco-producing areas.
Signed on June 20, 1964, RA 4155, entitled “An Act to Promote and Strengthen the Virginia Tobacco Industry,” established the tobacco fund that will be annually set aside by the national government from the General Appropriations Act. As of May 2022, the computed net tobacco fund under RA 4155 was already reaching P92.3 billion.
To sustain the local tobacco industry in Isabela, Governor Albano said that the provincial government is continuously giving support assistance to the tobacco farmers out of their share from the RA 8240 tobacco excise tax fund for Burley and Native types of tobacco.
Based on the Local Budget Memorandum No. 86 dated December 14, 2022, the province of Isabela will receive the highest portion of the tobacco excise tax fund under RA 8240 for Calendar Year 2022, with its share amounting to P1.8 billion. This amount constitutes 47% of the P4 billion total excise tax share of the 18 Burley and Native tobacco-producing provinces nationwide.
“While we are sustaining our biggest production of Burley and Native tobacco types in the province, we are also looking for the possible replication of the tobacco production practices in Cuba in our province,” he said.
In response, Administrator Sanchez and other NTA officials, who were present during the meeting, expressed their gratitude to Governor Albano for his support for the immediate release of the Tobacco Fund, and the giving of assistance to the tobacco farmers in his province.
Joining the administrator in her meeting with the Isabela governor were the following: Executive Assistant and Special Assistant to the Administrator Benjamin V. Sarmiento; Directors Nestor C. Casela, Danilo C. Trongco, Jessie Pat Serna, Wilfredo C. Martinez, and Luzviminda U. Padayao; OIC Deputy Administrator for Operations Dr. Giovanni B. Palabay; Regulation Manager Atty. Rohbert Ambros; and NTA Isabela Manager Joefrey T. Bautista.