As of February, this year, a lavish hotel company owned by former Senate president Manuel Villar Jr. owes the Las Piñas city government an estimated P83.7 million in unpaid real property taxes (RPT) and penalties.
Records from the city treasurer’s office showed that Mella Hotel, located at Villar Sipag on C5 Extension Road, Las Piñas, has not paid real property tax (RPT) since it opened to the public in January 2019 or six years ago.
The luxurious hotel is operated by Villar’s Vista Leisure Club, Corp., with an address at Worldwide Corporate Center, Mandaluyong City. The Villar Group of Companies’ tax obligations to the city government accumulated both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on the statement of account (SOA) dated February 14, Mella Hotel’s balance in real property taxes (RPT) and penalties has already reached to P83,798,450.93 for the current year.
Mella Hotel’s annual RPT debt amounted to P13,623,188.62 from year 2019 to 2022, P12, 039,096.92 in year 2023, another P10,138,186.88 last year and P7,128,412.65 for two months of this year.
Once the amnesty program of the national government took effect, the city government will waive the penalty of Mella Hotel’s RPT debt to only P55,760,027 or less by about P28, 038,423 discount, according to the city treasurer’s office.
Records disclosed that out of the P213 million in accumulated taxes and penalties, the Villar Group of Companies has only paid P151 million in RPT for several assets in the city as of November 2023, leaving a significant balance attributed to Mella Hotel.
However, the executives of Villar of Group of Companies pointed out “multiple inaccuracies” in the SOAs issued by the city, such as incorrect taxpayer names, erroneous property valuations, and miscalculations.
They assured the public that their companies had settled P151.8 million, including advance payments for 2024 RPT, adding that any outstanding taxes, after corrections, would be paid willingly.
However, the city treasurer’s office maintained that the latest SOAs of Mella Hotel is precise and accurate based on their official records. It did not specify in their records that the Villar company had paid advance payment for their tax obligations last year.
The Las Pinas city government also asked local taxpayers to set an appointment with city hall officials if they find any error in the SOAs like misspelled names and incomplete addresses so they can rectify the error.
Local government officials have expressed dismay over the Villar Group’s outstanding tax liabilities.
They previously stated that if the Villar family “intentionally” evaded tax payments, “they have no moral authority to lead our city. What we need is honesty, integrity, and respect for the people.”
The tax delinquencies of the Villar companies, however, date back up to two decades before the pandemic. Only four of the 29 properties have arrears beginning in 2019 and 2020, the year the health crisis hit the country. #
