'Cause i'm the Taxman, Yeah, I'm The Taxman

The lyrics lifted from that golden Beatles oldie, The  Taxman came to my mind when I accepted the invitation to attend the Awarding Ceremony of the Taxpayers' Outstanding Moment (TOM) Awards last June 25 at the Cebu Grand Convention Center (Archbishop Reyes Ave., Banilad). Theme of the affair was "Today's Taxes, Tomorrow's Community Progress."

It is very difficult to join this elite group of taxpayers since nobody likes taxes but taxes have been around for a very long time. It reminds me of an episode in pre-communist China where tax collectors under the provincial warlords made those wearing shoes pay a tax called "shoe tax." Later on, more vicious pa gyud in demanding five years advance payment "shoe tax." The citizens responded by simply discarding their shoes and went barefoot. The warlords simply enacted a new tax edict… penalty for "not wearing shoes tax!" Much later, the Beatles sang "If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet."

The City Government of Cebu decided to honor these outstanding tax payers with a Chinese banquet (excuse me, only 10 dishes). When the appetizer, Assorted Cold Cuts was served, I remembered a passage from the bible, "And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?'" (Luke 5:30). See how unpopular the taxman can be since the time of Jesus Christ!

Soup served was Fish Lips with Duck Sauce Soup. Years ago, I was looking for "fish lips" in a Chinese grocery and I was given a small dried whole fish. You are supposed to blanch the fish and cool immediately in cold water. Well, leave the cooking to the Chefs of Grand Majestic.

The next three dishes were then served: Braised Pork Belly with Fried Bread, Three Kinds of Mushroom with Kailan and the Taro Stuffed with Shrimp. This restaurant's version of braised pork served with fried bread is already considered a classic favorite among Cebuano patrons for the last four decades. One competitor tried hard to duplicate this dish but close na that restaurant.

With these dishes, came the Grand Majestic Fried Rice and I wondered who placed the order for this banquet. When you have only three or four dishes, fried rice is a necessity. When you have a feast with eight dishes, excuse me, like this banquet, only plain rice is usually served since fried rice becomes the ninth dish and would simply be too filling. Very difficult to consume the next three delicious dishes: Steamed Lapulapu with Soy Sauce, Braised Beef Brisket in Hot Pot and Noodles with Assorted Meats.

Two business groups were given recognition that night: top 20 business taxpayers and the top 20 real property taxpayers. Because of space limitations, I have listed only the top five of each category:

Business Taxpayers: 1st – Visayan Electric Co.Inc., 2nd – SM Prime Holdings, Inc., 3rd – Cebu Private Power Corp., 4th – Viscal Dev. Corp. (Ayala) and 5th – Cebu Leisure Co. Inc. 

Real Property Taxpayers: 1st – SM Mega Prime Holdings, Inc., 2nd – Waterfront Phil., Inc., 3rd – Ayala Center Cebu, 4th - Cebu Country Club, Inc. and 5th – Cebu Private Power Corp.

And Cebu City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva welcomed these taxpayers, "Without you, everything happening around Cebu City would never have been possible. This is your night! You made Cebu City heaven on earth."