Lea Salonga's Iloilo gig sparks row over taxes

Sun.Star: ILOILO CITY - The Philippine Media Corporation, producer of Lea Salonga’s recent concert in Iloilo, through event organizer Jane Javellana presented Monday two music experts to refute the classification by the committee on ways and means of her music as "pop", which it used as basis in charging taxes. In a press conference Monday, Javellana presented Atty. Jehiel Cusa and Arne Lusaban, both Bachelor of Conservatory Music graduates from the University of San Agustin, to ascertain whether Lea performed pop music as pointed out by the committee on ways and means in denying the tax exemption sought by concert organizer. The committee headed by Iloilo City Councilor Antonio Pesina rejected the application for tax exemption filed by the camp of Javelllana for Lea’s concert and instead charged P1.1 million worth of amusement tax. Cusa and Lusaban refuted the assertion that the songs performed by Lea were pop and declared that those were “Classical Broadway." Pesina’s committee cited a local government code that provides for taxes of pop concerts, among others. Javellana said they will pay the taxes that is truly due to the City. However, in this case, there is a serious need to go over the committee’s findings, like classifying the performances during Lea’s concert as pop, since it based tax charges on them. She also questioned the competence of the members of the committee to decide on the tax exemption. Javellana revealed that the decision and issues that surrounded the tax report affected greatly the bigger plans of entertaining the Ilonggos. For one, she said the plan to stage the concerts of Regine Velasquez and several other big stars here were put on hold. She said she advised her partners to look for a different place instead of Iloilo. - Sun.Star