Today’s news:
The New Vat expansion kicks in today. Read Goods and services subject to the VAT. So Oil, power, fare rates up: 12-percent VAT takes effect today. At the same time, Govt calms VAT fears: Dismisses reports of an impending price surge.
Doublespeak: While the Palace says “Opposition misread CBCP“, it also says, Palace to bishops: Let’s talk , and fast, hence: GMA woos bishops, hosts Palace dinner-meet. Perhaps because Anti-Gloria groups, buoyed by CBCP stand, link up.
Poor Manny: Pacquiao: “I am a champion. Why would I let anybody use me?”
In the punditocracy, my Arab News column for this week is Third World Attitude Toward Multinational Corporations (on a semi-related note, Sassy Lawyer delves into corporate foundations as tax shields).
The Inquirer editorial says the bishops are on a Collision course.
Amando Doronila, who knows what it’s like to catch the ire of anti-Arroyo people, valiantly defends Hilario Davide and Jose Abueva.
Emil Jurado on the necessary elements for a succesful coup.
JB Baylon has an amusing column on receiving the official Palace history from the President.
Greg Macabenta on Pinoy boxing greats.
Jarius Bondoc asserts,
It’s ironic that the bishops sent forth their letters only nine days after the departure of papal nuncio Archbishop Antonio Franco. In July last year on the eve of a similar gathering of bishops, Franco had reminded them of Benedict’s displeasure with partisan politics. The result was a pastoral letter that egged both Ms Arroyo and her foes to lead the search for truth in the then-emergent Garci tape. Last Sunday’s follow-up on that unaccomplished search was but necessary. But then, the bishops went overboard and sought to play other chess pieces as well.
In the blogosphere, on a related note, a de brux in a comment, thinks the bishops have crossed the line. Geo, on the other hand, thinks the bishops point to mining as the crucial issue. Philippine Commentary quotes Rizal. Big Mango tries to look at the big, ethical, picture.
Unlawyer on comment threads that won’t die.
Slate Magazine has an article that says the State of the Union address has become a silly tradition.
Required reading: the PCIJ’s guides to the Concom report (compare that to the proposed Federal Constitution prepared by Jose Abueva) and the proposed House amendments to the Constitution.
Technorati Tags: CBCP, Philippines, politics
Anybody who says VAT did not, and will not cause price increases are fools, and at the same time fooling the Filipino people. It’s just basic arithmetic. Subtract from peoples’ money and add to the government coffers. Now the peso will once more appreciate in value as foreign investors will think (and rightly so) that the Philippines will have more money to repay its debts.
But then again, I have reservations as the Filipino’s creativity will once more be put to the test. This time on how to beat paying of taxes.
The “pastoral editorial” was more for show.
All the bishops needed was to request for a meeting w/ the President & those who can give them quick lessons on the economy & the mining act or the issues on charter change.
If they have really been listening,I’m sure there is information to pick up from many sources.
As if we are not annoyed enough when courts interfear w/ business.Now even the church would like to do the same also.
I think, before the bishops try flexing their muscle maybe they should give their brains a chance to work first & not to use their “supposed to be hollier then thou” image cloud things.
Because if one is to beleave that their collegial body can have more wisdom being guided by deep spiritual lives.It seems that we can only be dissapointed from the results of their spiritual meeting.
When the Papal Nunscio was around last year who served as a reminder they where more behaved.Now that the Papal representative is gone.Seems that they could not control themselves.
After reading Doronilas analysis I came to a conclussion that we can always analys all we can but at the end of the day we will never know what goes on in the minds of Abueva & Davide.
Their accepting a major responsibility only shows that there will always be good men ready to serve their country.
It also shows that wise men can’t be driven by popular currents.
There are many ways to look at their appontments.I’m sure the forever malicious can only hope for them to fail.It’s not even farfetched that there are people already sawing intrigue.
In the case of erap using intelectuals to cover up what he never had.It was also true that many hopes where pinned on erap that he may succeed where other have failed.
In the case of erap although he did not have legitimacy problems.He squandered an oppurtunity to be able to make a difference.
In the case of PGMA, although she may have “invented” legitimacy problems.she is still able to deliver although w/ great difficulty.
I have always found our democracy strange because it seems to be based on, one doing & the other undoing things.It seems to be a democracy w/ a “shelf-life” from one election to the next.
It is only the “symbol” of a presidency that coun.Who occupies the symbol only becomes another “personalty to demonize.It is more a contest to give the most people possible to become president but for the president to succeed is another story.
As for Davide in particular we still have to wait & see for the work he will do.Davide has a track record to show.Let’s judge him for what the compitency has has demonstrated in the past.
Predicaments are not negative per se.They can always be used as an advantage for those who are wise.
It’s really a three-way fight over whose going to get the most benefits from the CHA-cha, GMA creates the Con-com to keep her interests in mind, JDV suddenly strikes by throwing the proposal as a mere “reference” to their own drafting of the proposed amendments, while FVR who has become the latest player to suffer a blow, would still insist on GMA to resign by 2007.
All these double-crossings are happening in one party, imagine if you would add in the other parties in the soon-to-come parliament, this country’s really in bigger troubles.
Multinationals are a necessary part of the business ecosystem. For example, with every IBM or Microsoft, a number of related businesses come about to act as resellers or provide software and/or consultancy services. To harbor an attitude of indiscriminate hatred against these institutions is to shoot ourselves in the foot. I’m always saddened whenever i hear of an MNC packing up ‘dahil na-KMU sila’. What needs to be avoided is any form of collusion with government against the general welfare, but this holds true for local businesses as well.
I find it unacceptable calling those who call and are really relentlessly pursuing for the truth, anti- Gloria. I do not have to be anti-Gloria to be interested in knowing what really has gone wrong in the last presidential election.
I like Manny Pacquiaos remark about “I’m a champion, why would i make anyone use me”
We might just see him as a “champion”.He is a great winner today only because he persevered, focused & work hard and along the way he has shown micch modesty & fear of God.Really great values from a person who can identify w/ many.We are not short of having good exsamples in life
Along his road to victory I can think of no one who has shown so much love & patriotissim for his country.Really careing to unite it in what ever way he can.While others will do anything to divide the nation.Manny dares to be different.
talking about vat is like talking about spilled milk.
the people’s elected congressmen approved the vat law for the president to collect the vat.
it is easy to blame the president, another kind of circus, while the poor people think if they have money left to spend.
Excellent point in corporation.
It is created for profitability 1st thing 1st.
The catholic church as sole corporation is in the business of saving souls but has to meet its profitability end to keep in business.
Corporations enjoy various tax shelters to avoid paying taxes. Corporations with their deep pockets can afford to influence the legislators to make laws in their favor or the government to give them incentives with net amount of less taxes to the national treasury.
Ordinary folks don’t understand that the playing field is so skewed. Ordinary workers have no choice of paying taxes. Taxes are taken before they can get their daily wage. While legislators are enjoying the lavish perks and benefits of lobbying corporations at the same time being paid by the workers taxes.
They will add exmptions to the more than 75 % of the tax base
yet they will collect vat from the same tax base
with remaining 25 % still avoiding taxes
Those 75 % are the fixed earners most are isang kahig isang tuka
The rest are the rich and self employed who are the ones who should pay more
they should be given less incentives
but unfortunately beggars can’t be choosers…
In addition
If it is true that the known smugglers are close to the big guy out there and that the big guy wants to buy the second biggest port thru his golfing buddy who is now the leader in the trade…then……Hooray for filipinos interested in taking it from the expats(Is that so??)
I have a relative who’s a doctor. I found what she said to be interesting. She said that because of e-VAT, the number of patients have gone down. I joked that e-VAT must have made Filipinos more disease resistant!
She answered that more Filipinos(in our province anyway) now do self-medication! And sometimes back to the old style of using medicinal plants. It’s true, there are times that we all need to bite the bullet. Nevertheless, most of the time it’s the ordinary people who suffers the heavy burden. They’re the ones who don’t have “shock absorbers” during difficult times. The rich feels the strain too, but more often than not, they have more means to adjust. They have budgets to cut, compared to the poor who have really nothing more to adjust.
I have changed my views of the underground economy
If they source their goods from cheaped smuggled imports then it is not their fault but of the smugglers
and if they buy their goods from so called legit sources and it is no longer their fault if those sources don’t pay the correct amount of tax or not, sila hindi nag reresibo pero ang mga de resibo nakakalusot pa din kahit paano
lastly di Ko naman nilalahat
although it hurts my pocket too, vat is here to stay & in the long term i’m sure we will see results too.
we just have to hold our breaths.it’s just another bitter pill that we have been postponing for long,seems like it takes an unpopular president to do the job.
a patient kicks “vatâ€Â
…if gloria says vat is a bitter pill we have to swallow, i must seek a second opinion from another doctor. perhaps, he/she may just prescribe a suppository.
Grande sito!!