Noynoy, Dont be a Grinch! Hands off the Sin Tax Bill!

PRESS RELEASE

13 December 2012

Militants' Christmas message to the President

Noynoy, Dont be a Grinch! Hands off the Sin Tax Bill!

MORE than three thousand protestors belonging to the anti-Sin Tax alliance, the Peoples Coalition Against Regressive Taxation spent the whole day at the Mendiola bridge urging President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino to veto the sin tax bill and prevent the catastrophic economic effects of his signing into law of the sin tax bill.

The militant group also criticized the recently approved provisions by the Bicameral Committee Meeting for its abandonment of the safety nets meant to cushion to the impacts of the sin tax bill which will critically affect the jobs and livelihoods of those relying on the sin products. 

In a statement, PCART insisted that the Aquino government is very much aware that a vicious institutional injustice is about to be committed against millions of Filipino workers, farmers, vendors and sari-sari store owners once the Sin Tax Bill is finally enacted but the President still pushed through with the IMF-dictated tax measure.

According to Gie Relova, Secretary-General of the militant Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino-National Capital Region-Rizal chapter, "Aquino did not only intentionally hand out the death warrants of our jobs and livelihoods, but also sent the dreams and ambitions of our children to the gallows. He had every reason to veto the sin tax bill and make Christmas celebration of our children turn from glum to merry but more importantly, he has to veto it before the economy turns from ugly to uglier".

“Totally unacceptable!” this was the reaction of Anthony Barnedo, National Capital Region-Rizal Secretary-General of the urban poor federation Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralita ng Lungsod (KPML-NCRR). 

“If the Sin Tax Bill is Aquino’s idea of a perfect Christmas, then his Daang Matuwid is a complete sham. If a regime that legalizes contractual labor, privatizes public hospitals, abandons the right the right to education, demolishes communities without a habitable relocation sites and now suppresses the way we make a living then logic dictates that the unbearable government such as Aquino’s is just as abusive and exploitative as its laws,” Barnedo added.

The coalition vowed to continue the struggle against an unjust and anti-poor decree such as Aquino’s regressive Sin Tax Law even during the electoral period wherein they are to launch a national negative campaign against those who supported the Malacanang-masterminded massacre of jobs and livelihoods.

KPML-NCRR slams Bicam during Int'l Human Rights Day

PRESS STATEMENT

December 10, 2012

For Agreeing to a P35 Billion Revenue Target for 2013:

MILITANTS SLAM THE BICAM!

Five thousand workers, vendors, and informal settlers assembled at the grounds of Hotel Sofitel Grand at the CCP Complex carrying placards painted with "Tama na, Sobra na! Sistema ng Pagbubuwis, Palitan na!", P-Noy at Sin Tax, Pahirap sa Masa" and "Tax Revolt, Sagot sa Regressive Taxation!" slogans. The militants condemned the sin tax bicameral conference that agreed on the P35 billion target tax revenue of government for the year 2013 last Friday.

Gie Relova, Secretary-General of the militant Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino - National Capital Region-Rizal (BMP-NCRR), says "We condemn the bicameral conference committee to the highest degree. Passing the sin tax bill has been the solons’ most appalling act of disservice and treachery to the Filipino people. The 1987 Constitution specifically instructs the legislators to develop a progressive system of taxation; instead, these lawmakers prefer to exacerbate the already miserable lives of our countrymen with regressive taxes".

In spite of the militants disgust for the bicameral committee Relova was quick to add that, "the millions of workers and farmers nationwide reserve the strongest denunciation for President Noynoy Aquino for his puppetry to the prodding of international financing institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and a transnational corporation. The imperialist forces shall profit in trillions of pesos at the expense of our local industry without generating any employment”. 

The corporation the labor leader was referring to is the London-based multinational company British-American Tobacco (BAT) which re-entered the Philippine market after pulling out in 2009. The return of the BAT which produces the Lucky Strike brand will only dump surplus tobacco leaves in the country and will clearly benefit from a sin tax law designed to break the stranglehold on the market of a local company thereby increasing BAT's market share in the Philippines .

For Anthony Barnedo, Secretary-General of Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralita ng Lungsod - National Capital Region-Rizal (KPML-NCRR), a co-convener of the alliance Peoples Coalition Against Regressive Taxation (PCART), "the government claims to raise revenue from excise taxes but surely, they shall never be able to obtain their targets because of the high prices, no one will be able to afford sin products anymore, the industry is bound for doom". 

"Nor do we expect an enhanced public health program from the government even if they achieve their revenue targets. The Universal Healthcare Program of the regime shall remain a dream, ending in a nightmare once they commence privatizing the twenty-six public hospitals" the urban poor leader added. 

"As we commemorate the 64th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), our "honorable" senators and congressmen chose to observe this day with intentional and brutal violations to our right to work and protection against unemployment. With the imminent massacre of jobs and livelihoods, the system of taxation being laid down by the Aquino regime is clearly courting a social revolution they shall soon regret.” the BMP leader concluded.

Bicam, Kinundena ng mga Militante

PRESS STATEMENT

Disyembre 10, 2012

Sa Pagsang-Ayon sa P35 Bilyong Target na Sin Tax sa Taong 2013

BICAM KINUNDENA NG MGA MILITANTE!

LIMANG libong manggagawa, manininda at maralitang taga-lungsod ang nagtipon sa labas ng Hotel Sofitel Grand sa CCP Complex dala ang mga placards na may nakapintang, "Tama na, Sobra na! Sistema ng Pagbubuwis, Palitan na!", "P-Noy at Sin Tax, Pahirap sa Masa" at "Tax Revolt, Sagot sa Regressive Taxation!" Bilang pagkondena sa naganap na sin tax bicameral conference na sumang-ayon sa P35 bilyong target na kita sa sin tax ng gobyerno para sa taong 2013. 

Ayon kay Gie Relova, Secretary-General ng Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino - National Capital Region-Rizal (BMP-NCRR), "Abot-langit naming kinukondena ang naging pasya ng bicameral conference committee. Sobrang nasusuklam ang mamamayang Pilipino sa katrayduran ng pagkakapasa ng sin tax bill. Taliwas ito sa 1987 Constitution na kung saan sinasaad nito na dapat ay paunlarin ang sistema sa pagbubuwis sa isang progresibong pamamaraan ngunit mas pinaboran ng mga mambabatas ang regresibong sistema na lalong magpapahirap sa mga miserable na ngang buhay ng taumbayan."

Bagamat matindi ang disgusto ng mga miltante sa Bicam, mabilis na dinagdag ni Relova na, "milyong manggagawa at magsasaka sa buong bansa ang kumukondena kay Pangulong Benigno Aquino III dahil sa pagpayag nitong maging sunud-sunuran sa mga utos ng mga pandaigdigang institusyong pampinansiya gaya ng International Monetary Fund at isang dambuhalang dayuhang korporasyon. Tutubo ng trilyong piso ang mga dayuhan nang walang lilikhaing hanap-buhay habang iniaalay sa altar ang ating lokal na industriya". 

Ang tinutukoy ni Relova ay dambuhalang kumpanyang naka-base sa London na British-American Tobacco (BAT) na muling pumasok sa Pilipinas makaraang umalis noong 2009. Ang pagbabalik ng BAT na gumagawa ng sigarilyong Lucky Strike ay magtatambak lamang ng sobra-sobrang tabako nito sa bansa. Ang kumpanyang BAT ang malinaw na makikinabang sa isang batas sa sin tax na siyang paraan naman nito para basagin ang monopolyo sa mekado ng isang lokal na kumpanya na mangangahulugan naman ng paglaki ng market share nito. 

Samantala, ayon naman kay Anthony Barnedo, Secretary-General ng Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralita ng Lungsod - National Capital Region-Rizal (KPML-NCRR), isa sa nagtatag ng Peoples Coalition Against Regressive Taxation (PCART), "umaasa ang gobyerno na kikita sila sa pamamagitan ng sin tax pero sigurado, hinding-hindi hindi ito magaganap dahil sa taas ng presyo ng mga produktong tabako't alkohol, wala nang makakabili nito, tiyak na malulusaw ang industriya". 

"Hindi na rin natin dapat asahan na mapapaunlad nga ng gobyerno ang mga programang pangkalusugan sa bansa kahit pa sabihin nating maabot nito ang target na kita mula sa sin tax. Ang pinangangalandakan nilang Universal Healthcare Program ay mananatili na lang panaginip na mauuwi sa bangungot kapag sinimulan na nila ang pagsasapribado sa dalawampu't anim na pampublikong ospital," dagdag pa nito.

"Habang ipinagbubunyi natin ang ika-64 anibersaryo ng Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), mas pinili ng ating mga "kagalang-galang" na senador at kongresista ang labagin ang ating mga karapatan sa paggawa at proteksyon sa kawalan ng hanap-buhay. At dahil sa nakaambang masaker sa mga trabaho't kabuhayan at sa sistema ng pagbubuwis na inilalatag sa rehimeng Aquino, liniligawan nito ang isang panlipunang rebolusyon na tiyak nilang pagsisisihan," dagdag pa ng BMP lider.