Roxas: “Finally, Government’s feet on the ground”

Senator Mar Roxas said it is high time to suspend the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products, now that the government has already “accepted the reality” that it would not meet its “theoretical” target to balance the budget.

“Finally, nakaapak na sila sa lupa (their feet are now on the ground)! Because their theory that the budget can be balanced this year, nawala na iyan matagal na eh (has been abandoned for some time already),” an exasperated Roxas said during the Kapihan sa Senado held on Thursday.

“When oil was at $90 per barrel at the beginning of the year, nawala na iyan eh (the assumption’s invalid already). The economic growth for 2008 would necessarily be affected,” he explained. He said oil prices now are four times more expensive than when the expanded VAT was still being deliberated.

He also pointed out that the President has supposedly allotted P40 billion for the Agriculture “FIELDS” program, aside from continuing with rice subsidies through NFA, the budgets for which are not in the original budget.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce pointed out that when the proposal to impose a 12% VAT on oil was still being deliberated, Dubai crude was still around $34 per barrel. Now, the price of Dubai crude has reached $120 per barrel. This means if the government earlier expected to collect around $4 of VAT per barrel of crude, it now collects around $14 per barrel, or excess revenue of around $10 per barrel.

“Ang laki-laki na ng nakokolekta ng gobyerno, higit doon sa original na inaasahan nila mula rito. Bakit pa nila ipinagdadamot ito (Government’s collecting so much more than what it originally expected. So why are they refusing to return it to consumers)?” he said.

The Liberal Party President stressed that if the government really wants to help consumers and protect the “real economy” at this time of crisis, it must immediately support moves to suspend or remove VAT on oil.

“Maaari na ayaw nila ito sa simula. Noong nasa $90 per barrel ang langis, tinanggihan nila ito. Ngayon na nasa $130 per barrel na ang langis, mukhang nagkakaroon ito ng buhay sa Kamara. Kahit ano pa man ang gusto ng Malacañang, itong demokrasya dito, batay ito sa kagustuhan ng ating mga kababayan. Nilagay natin sila diyan, dapat hindi nila ipagdamot itong pera kasi hindi nila pera ito. Pera ng sambayanan ito,” he said.

Saturday, May 31, 2008 | posted in da, e-vat, food crisis, mar roxas, nfa, oil, pgma, philippines, president, rice crisis, united arab emirates | 2 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Slower growth, high prices call for ZERO VAT on oil

Senator Mar Roxas said the government should now support moves for zero value-added tax (VAT) on oil, now that the government has admitted it would not anymore meet its balanced budget target this year due to slower growth.

"When oil was at $90 per barrel at the beginning of the year, that target of a balanced budget this year has become impossible. The economic growth for 2008 would necessarily be affected," he said.

"But more than the fiscal targets, the government should look more closely at how our consumers are facing a perfect storm of food and oil price hikes," he said.

He said oil prices now are four times more expensive than when the expanded VAT was still being deliberated. This is one of the reasons cited as to why growth, especially consumer spending, slowed down in the first quarter.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce pointed out that when the proposal to impose a 12% VAT on oil was still being deliberated, Dubai crude was still around $34 per barrel. Now, the price of Dubai crude has reached $120 per barrel. This means if the government earlier expected to collect around $4 of VAT per barrel of crude, it now collects around $14 per barrel, or excess revenue of around $10 per barrel.

"Ang laki-laki na ng makokolekta ng gobyerno mula sa VAT sa langis, higit doon sa inaasahan nila noon mula rito. Bakit pa nila ipinagdadamot ito (Government's expected to collect so much more than what it originally expected. So why are they refusing to return it to our consumers)?" he said.

"Even at the best of times, even when the administration was crowing about 7.3% growth, the revenue agencies were not attaining their targets. So to begin with, strong economy or weak economy, the revenue agencies were not attaining their projections," he explained.

The Liberal Party President stressed if the government really wants to help consumers and protect the "real economy" at this time of crisis, it must immediately support moves to suspend or remove VAT on oil.

"Maaari na ayaw nila ito sa simula. Noong nasa $90 per barrel ang langis, tinanggihan nila ito. Ngayon na nasa $130 per barrel na ang langis, mukhang nagkakaroon ito ng buhay sa Kamara," he said.

"Hindi nila dapat ipagdamot itong pera kasi hindi nila pera ito. Pera ng sambayanan ito," he said.

Friday, May 30, 2008 | posted in e-vat, food crisis, mar roxas, oil, pgma, philippines, president, rice crisis, united arab emirates | 0 comments [ More ]

Large savings for workers with Tax Exemption Bill’s passage, Sen. Roxas says

Senator Mar Roxas said people have plenty of savings to look forward to, with the impending passage of Congress’ bill to exempt minimum wage earners from income taxes.

“Magandang balita ang natanggap natin sa sinang-ayunan na ng House yung Senate version para sa exemption ng mga minimum wage earners, at additional exemptions para sa iba pang salaried workers,” Roxas said during the ‘Kapihan sa Senado’ press conference on Thursday.

The Senator, who is principal author of the tax measure, pointed out the specific savings for people: “Para sa isang minimum wage earner sa Metro Manila na kumikita ng P7,900 per month for 22 days of work, ang dagdag nito sa kanyang take-home pay is about P750, or P34 a day. Ang katumbas nito ay isang kilong bigas bawat araw na madadagdagan sa kanilang kinikita.”

In addition to this, Roxas, the Liberal Party President, noted that all holiday, night differential, hazard and overtime pay were also exempted from income taxes.

“Kaya’t bagamat ang panawagan ng labor sector ay pataasin ang sahod sa pamamagitan nitong panukalang isinulong natin, madadagdagan pa ang take-homepay ng ating mga manggagawa at ng ating mga salaried workers,” he said.

The bill also increases personal exemptions, so that additional savings for an employee earning P455 a day or P10,010 per month would be P472.59 a month or P5,671.02 a year if he or she is single, and P451.09 a month or P5,413.06 a year if he or she is married with four children.

For an employee earning P683 a day or P15,026 a month, additional savings would be P545.26 a month or P6,543.10 a year if he or she is single, and P1,190.52 or P14,286.20 a year if he or she is married with four children.

“These additional savings are on top of the personal exemptions already being given to our workers,” Roxas noted.

“Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, malaking tulong ang lahat ng ginhawa na mabibigay ng gobyerno, kagaya nitong minimum wage exemption, at kahit yung pagtanggal ng VAT sa produktong petrolyo,” he added.

| posted in e-vat, food crisis, mar roxas, minimum wage, oil, pgma, philippines, president | 2 comments [ More ]

Roxas pushes for Omnibus Education Reform Bill

After working on measures that would help people cope with the expense side of their daily needs, Senator Mar Roxas is now pushing for an omnibus measure that would ensure the people’s incomes in the long-term: education reform.

“Huwag nating kalimutan ang ‘income side.’ At para sa akin, ang pinakamabisang pamamaraan para masiguro natin na may kikitain ang, at patuloy na magkakaroon ng pagkakataon para sa, ating mga kababayan ay ang pagsasaayos ng ating education system at pagbibigay sa kanila ng tama’t wastong educational preparation. (We should not forget the ‘income side.’ And to me, the best way to ensure incomes and opportunities for our people is through reforming our education system and giving our children proper educational preparation),” he said.

Roxas, President of the Liberal Party, said “we need to fix not only the roof but the whole house which is our education system,” as Filipino students are being left behind, compared to their counterparts in Asia and the world.

Among the reforms he is seeking through his Senate Bill 2294, the proposed Omnibus Education Reform Act of 2008, is instituting the “mother tongue” or local language as medium of instruction.

“It had been found out 20 years back that children learn faster in the local language rather than a strict English-only or Tagalog-only system,” he said. He pointed out that this is backed by decades of UNESCO research and even by Philippine experience.

Roxas is also pushing for an expanded 12-year basic education program. This would include competency evaluation at grades three and six, a remedial year between grade school and high school, and an “output-oriented” high school curriculum that would equip graduates with the right skills, whether they choose to pursue college or already be employed.

“Kilalang-kilala tayo sa Asya at sa buong mundo na English-competent, well-educated. Pero dumadating na ang panahon na sa ating limited 10-year education program, nakikita na yung agwat ng kakayahan ng ibang bansa kumpara dito sa atin,” he said.

“Hindi na natin maaaring gawing kapital yung 10 years na education program natin, kasi mahusay man iyan ay may extra two years yung iba. Kaya kailangan makahabol tayo. Kung hindi, ang mga trabaho ay hindi pupunta dito sa atin at pupunta sa ibang bansa,” he added.

| posted in asia, education, english, mar roxas, philippines, unesco | 0 comments [ More ]

Mar Roxas for President in 2010 Blog holds on to the 10th Spot

Thank you so much to all the people who have put their trust in my blog, Mar Roxas for President in 2010 (and you bet again who's gonna be the Philippine President in 2010), and nominated it as one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008, a writing project of Ma'am Janette Toral. I would also like to apologize to my fellow bloggers who felt disgusted over my campaign to visit this blog. My intention was only to let my fellow bloggers be aware that this blog exist and it's up to them if they would nominate the blog or dismiss it. I am not pushing them to nominate the blog.

As of the 5th week, the Mar Roxas for President in 2010 Blog is currently on the 10th spot for two straight weeks (Week 4 and Week 5) and I would be delighted if you can help us stay on the Top 10 until the end of the search and even "more" delighted if you can lift us from the 10th spot. Below is the overall ranking of the blogs mentioned for week 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 entries

1. http://visitsagada.com/
2. http://www.filipinovoices.com/
3. http://missingcarlo.filblogs.com/
4. http://www.davaodeli.com/
   http://delfindjmontano.blogspot.com/
5. http://manilafoodistas.blogspot.com/
6. http://www.blogniinday.com/
7. http://www.yougottech.com/
8. http://creativecurio.com/
   http://marroxas2010.blogspot.com/

I would like to thank Filipinayzd, Flowell, Mark, Jehz, Myk, Francis, Lugud, Kay JD for their support by nominating this blog as one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008.

You are also invited to join the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs in 2008 writing project of Ma'am Janette Toral. Join now!

Thursday, May 29, 2008 | posted in blog, campaign, janette toral, mar roxas, top 10 emerging influential blogs of 2008 | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas bares LP position on CARL

Senator Mar Roxas, the Liberal Party President, said that his party will be pushing for an extension of the agrarian reform program, but only with changes in the present law which would truly benefit the farmer.

“The LP’s stand is: Farmers deserve real change. What is needed especially in this time of high prices is the strengthening of our farm sector, with government providing all the help it can provide,” Roxas said.

The senator noted that the party position was the result of intensive policy discussions, where the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) was assessed and deemed to have lacked support services to empower farmers to better manage their land.

“What is needed is for real social justice to come about from an extension of CARL, not empty promises. While we favor the extension of CARL, we also see the need for reforms to make it a genuine vehicle for social justice and economic development,” he said.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce said that the LP would push for a 5-year extension of the law, focusing on several points.

“First, land must be made productive and be profitable for farmers. The prevalent situation since 1988 has been a farmer being awarded his own land, but because of the lack of tools and know-how, the land becomes idle or is sold back to the original landowner,” he said.

To empower the farmers, following support services must be provided:

• Readily available low-interest and long-term credit facilities;
• Seeds, fertilizers, irrigation and other inputs;
• Adequate drying and milling capabilities;
• Market access;
• Training and capacity-building; and
• Full support of the Department of Agriculture, local government units and the Department of Agrarian Reform as partners-for-change.

Second, Roxas said the principle of fairness and transparency must be applied to all stakeholders. The LP proposes:

• Settlement of all previous land acquisition as a confidence-building measure for the next wave of reformed lands;
• Just and prompt payment to all landowners for their CARP-subjected land;
• Fairness and transparency in resolving disputes on land valuation and ownership; and
• Clearly specified sources of funds for the next phase of CARP to ensure sustainability and effective implementation.

In policy discussions, Roxas said the Liberal Party also agreed that the current rice and food crisis requires a strict prohibition in the conversion of irrigated farmlands.

“These lands were irrigated for a long-term purpose, and the amount spent on this should not go to waste. The present rice crisis can be blamed in part on the mismanagement of irrigated lands,” he said.

Sunday, May 25, 2008 | posted in carl, carp, da, dar, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Immediate relief, not tokenisms, needed

Senator Mar Roxas said the people do not need mere "tokenisms" but real and immediate relief in coping with the continued high prices of petroleum products.

He cited the Department of Energy's announcement to remove the tariff on imported crude oil and refined products – that would supposedly lower pump prices by P0.50 – effective June 1, which the Senator said would not be felt by the public especially with the continued rise in world oil prices.

"How will our drivers and consumers feel that their government is looking out for them, when all they are given is false hope and not immediate relief?" said Roxas, the Chairman of the Committee on Trade and Commerce.

"Our people feel they are being run over by these skyrocketing prices of food, oil and other goods. But instead of rushing them to the hospital, the government treats the problem with band-aid," he said, referring to the tariff reduction.

The Liberal Party President said that if the executive was serious in helping the jeepney and tricycle drivers, the fisherman, or even just the general consumer, the immediate action of suspending the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products must be considered.

"With the rising prices of basic goods like food, oil and electricity, plus the higher costs of transport, a zero tariff on oil is not all that our people need, but also zero VAT," he said.

Roxas stressed that the government should not fear revenue losses as a result of removing the VAT on oil, because the VAT will eventually be collected on other products.

"The government should not be so stingy when it comes to removing the VAT on oil. This is not their money, this is the people's money," he said.

"So far, the executive has not understood that when the VAT on petroleum products is removed, this won't be a complete loss for the government. Why? Because Juan de la Cruz is going to spend his extra savings on other items, which the VAT can be collected from. For example, with one 11-kilo tank of LPG, removing VAT would result in a housewife saving P65. That P65 can then be spent on other items in the grocery or department store to buy other needs, which have VAT on them," he explained.

"If the government is going to use the money for things that won't help us anyway, it would be better for each person to do the spending," he added.

Friday, May 23, 2008 | posted in doe, e-vat, food crisis, mar roxas, oil, pgma, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Text MAR2010 ON 2330

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008 | posted in blog, campaign, mar roxas | 0 comments [ More ]

Use of local language in primary education sought by Sen. Mar Roxas

Senator Mar Roxas wants the use of the local language in the primary school as he seeks to increase the number of years for basic education from 10 to 12.

In a bid to improve the Philippine education system, Roxas filed Tuesday Senate Bill 2249 or the Omnibus Education Reform Act.

“We need to fix our educational system to promote social justice and better opportunities for the Filipino youth,” he said.

“This is the best way to catch up with our neighbors that have long made wise and huge investments in their own educational system.” Roxas said in a statement.

The bill seeks the use of the Philippine language as a medium of instruction for Grades 1 to 3, saying studies have shown early education in the native language is more effective.

The proposed measure also mandates the increase from 10 to 12 the number of years in the basic education in consonance with international standards.

Roxas noted that at present, only 65 out of 100 Grade 1 students will be able to complete elementary education. Of these, only 43 can finish high school.

Most of those who are able to graduate from high school have no mastery in English, Science and Mathematics, he said.

Roxas attributed this to many factors, including the low appropriation for the education sector, which currently receives three percent of the gross national product.

Read more...

| posted in education, english, mar roxas, math, philippines, science | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Oil VAT suspension win-win solution for transport, consumers

Senator Mar Roxas described the proposed zero value-added tax (VAT) on oil as a "win-win" solution to the woes of the transport sector and of consumers alike due to the sky-high prices of petroleum products.

"Kung gusto ng gobyerno ng 'win-win' na solusyon, suportahan na nito ang pagtanggal ng VAT sa langis. Agad na makikinabang dito ang parehong tsuper at pasahero, kaya hindi ko alam kung bakit ipinagdaramot pa rin ito (If the government wants a 'win-win' solution, then it must immediately support the removal of VAT on oil. Both jeepney driver and commuter stand to immediately benefit from this)," he said.

"The disposable incomes of our people continue to shrink due to the high cost of food, oil, energy and their other daily needs. If we don't heed this cry for immediate relief, our economy is in danger of slowing down," he stressed.

Roxas said this, as he criticized the government for its incoherent policy in issuing a provisional fare hike order, only to hold it back a few hours afterwards.

"Hindi magandang urong-sulong ang pamahalaan sa panahon ng krisis. Umasa ang ating mga tsuper, kinabahan naman ang ating mga pasahero. Sa huli, hindi nakatulong ang gobyerno (The government should not be indecisive in times of crisis. They made our jeepney drivers expectant and our commuters anxious. In the end, the government was not able to help either)," he added.

"What is a fair solution? It is for government to assume the responsibility of fixing its finances without having to unjustly burden our transport sector and our consumers as a result of this VAT on oil," he said.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce noted that the government is already on the right track with its decision to study whether to suspend, reduce or eliminate altogether the 12% VAT on oil and energy.

"That's a big leap from its original stance for an automatic rejection of any proposal to touch the VAT law. Ultimately, they have to heed the clamor of the people for the suspension of the VAT on oil as a way to keep the political and economic environment stable," he said.

"I call on the House to bring the matter to the table and start hearing all positions, especially that of our consumers," he added.

He noted that while the Senate has already started deliberations on bills seeking to suspend or remove VAT on oil and energy, it could not move forward until the House approves its own tax measures.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 | posted in e-vat, mar roxas, oil, pgma, philippines, president, transport sector | 0 comments [ More ]