Former Maasim Mayor Aniceto Lopez Jr. and Municipal Treasurer Moises Magallona Jr. of Sarangani province have been found guilty by the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division of illegal exaction for the illegal charging of sticker fees back in 2005.
Lopez Jr. and Magallona Jr. were convicted for violating Article 213, paragraph , sub-paragraph of the Revised Penal Code on Illegal Exaction.
Both of them were entrusted with the collection of taxes, licenses, fees and other imposts. However, they demanded and collected P75 per sticker fee during the registration of motorboats and fishing boats from January to June 2005, even though the sticker fee is not authorized under Municipal Tax Ordinance No. 04-003.
The prosecution also offered Municipal Tax Ordinance No. 04-003, which provides that the municipality has no authority to impose sticker fees from fisherfolks.