Bam Aquino

Sen. Bam: TRAIN to burden millions of Filipino families in 2018

Poor Filipinos will have to deal with higher prices of goods and services without any financial assistance from the government once the tax reform program it is implemented next year, according to Sen. Bam Aquino.
 
“While the government is determined to implement the tax reform program starting next year, it will take months before it rolls out the cash transfer program for poor Filipinos,” said Sen. Bam.
 
The Department of Finance (DOF) proposed a cash transfer program with a P200 monthly financial assistance on the first year and P300 monthly financial assistance for the second and third year to help cover the increase in prices of basic goods.
 
However, the DOF said it cannot immediately implement the cash transfer program and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) at the same time.
 
In the period of amendments, Sen. Bam pushed for the immediate implementation of the cash transfer program to help poor Filipinos absorb the expected increase in the prices of goods and services.  However, Sen. Bam’s proposal was not accepted by the DOF.
 
During its ratification, Sen. Bam rejected the TRAIN’s approval due to the inability of government to implement the financial assistance program in time for the increase in prices due to provisions on excise tax on fuel and sweetened beverage tax.
 
“In the end, poor Filipinos will bear the brunt of this tax reform program as it will increase the prices of basic commodities,” said Sen. Bam, who rejected the measure despite supporting the increase in take home pay for workers.
 
“Sana mahanapan pa ng paraan, na sa madaling panahon, masabay nila ang pinansyal na tulong doon sa pagtaas ng taxes at pagtaas ng presyo ng napakaraming bilihin sa ating bansa,” added Sen. Bam.
 
Instead of passing the burden to poor Filipinos, Sen. Bam said the government should focus on improving the performance of revenue-generating agencies such as the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
 
Data from the Finance Department shows that an additional P726 billion can still be collected by government by addressing inefficiencies and removing loopholes in the BIR.
 
The government can also collect at least P231 billion if the importation gap and smuggling is resolved by BOC.

Sen. Bam Aquino’s Explanation of No-Vote for TRAIN Ratification

Thank you, Mr. President.

First of all, Mr. President, let me just say that my no vote at the ratification is by no means an indication of the leadership and the diligence of our Chairman. Our Chairman worked very hard for this bill, and I believe he really did his best to come up with the best version that he could, with the circumstances given to him.

However, Mr. President, if I I could explain my vote, the DOF knows that there was really one major provision or one major aspect of this bill that was important to this representation. At yun, Mr. President, yung epekto ng batas na ito sa napakaraming mahihirap sa ating bansa.

Totoo po, Mr. President, merong 6 million Filipinos ang matutulungan ng batas na ito. 6 million Filipinos, in fairness, Mr. President, and will congratulate this portion of the bill, will go to the larger take-home pay. However, Mr. President, in the records of the Department of Finance, in their deliberations, in their presentations to the individual senators, lumalabas po talaga na dahil sa pagtaas ng bilihin, we’re looking at the bottom 40% of the Filipino people who will carry the brunt of the tax reform because of the increase in prices.

Now, Mr. President, a lot of us have raised this issue. At yung na-mention po ng DOF na tulong sa ating mga kababayan ang unconditional cash transfer. In short, Mr. President, yung pang-balanse sa napakaraming pamilyang Pilipinong naghihirap dahil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin, at yung pagbibigay ng 200, or- ngayon po 200 pero initially in the Senate version 300 pesos per month na tulong, financial assistance to the bottom, roughly 10 million families to help them with the increase in prices because of the tax reform. Mr. President, with that assertion, marami po sa atin, napanatag ang kalooban.

However, Mr. President, lumabas po doon sa ating interpolation, at lumabas po doon sa ating pananaliksik ng DOF at ng iba pang mga ahensya, na hindi po kayang i-implement ang programang iyon na kasabay sa pagtaas ng presyo ng ating bilihin.

And Mr. President, yun po siguro yung isang bagay na para sa akin, hindi ko pwedeng suportahan ang batas na ito kung hindi maisasabay  ang tulong na pinansyal sa ating mga kababayan doon sa pagtaas ng taxes ng napakaraming produkto sa ating bansa. And I hope, Mr. President, this no-vote will spur our agencies to work faster, and this is, of course, DOF, DSWD, and other concerned agencies, na sana po, hindi gaya ng sabi nila, na hindi kayang isabay ang programa doon po sa pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin. Sana po mahanapan pa po nila ng paraan, na sa madaling panahon, masabay po nila yung programang tulong na pinansyal sa mga kababayan natin doon po sa pagtaas ng taxes sa napakaraming presyo, sa napakaraming bilihin sa ating bansa. And because of that, Mr. President, I, unfortunately, cannot support this measure. Thank you, Mr. President.

Sen. Bam Aquino’s Explanation of No-Vote for TRAIN Ratification

First of all, Mr. President, let me just say that my no vote at the ratification is by no means an indication of the leadership and the diligence of our Chairman. Our Chairman worked very hard for this bill, and I believe he really did his best to come up with the best version that he could, with the circumstances given to him.

However, Mr. President, if I I could explain my vote, the DOF knows that there was really one major provision or one major aspect of this bill that was important to this representation. At yun, Mr. President, yung epekto ng batas na ito sa napakaraming mahihirap sa ating bansa.

Totoo po, Mr. President, merong 6 million Filipinos ang matutulungan ng batas na ito. 6 million Filipinos, in fairness, Mr. President, and will congratulate this portion of the bill, will go to the larger take-home pay. However, Mr. President, in the records of the Department of Finance, in their deliberations, in their presentations to the individual senators, lumalabas po talaga na dahil sa pagtaas ng bilihin, we’re looking at the bottom 40% of the Filipino people who will carry the brunt of the tax reform because of the increase in prices.

Now, Mr. President, a lot of us have raised this issue. At yung na-mention po ng DOF na tulong sa ating mga kababayan ang unconditional cash transfer. In short, Mr. President, yung pang-balanse sa napakaraming pamilyang Pilipinong naghihirap dahil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin, at yung pagbibigay ng 200, or- ngayon po 200 pero initially in the Senate version 300 pesos per month na tulong, financial assistance to the bottom, roughly 10 million families to help them with the increase in prices because of the tax reform. Mr. President, with that assertion, marami po sa atin, napanatag ang kalooban.

However, Mr. President, lumabas po doon sa ating interpolation, at lumabas po doon sa ating pananaliksik ng DOF at ng iba pang mga ahensya, na hindi po kayang i-implement ang programang iyon na kasabay sa pagtaas ng presyo ng ating bilihin.

And Mr. President, yun po siguro yung isang bagay na para sa akin, hindi ko pwedeng suportahan ang batas na ito kung hindi maisasabay  ang tulong na pinansyal sa ating mga kababayan doon sa pagtaas ng taxes ng napakaraming produkto sa ating bansa. And I hope, Mr. President, this no-vote will spur our agencies to work faster, and this is, of course, DOF, DSWD, and other concerned agencies, na sana po, hindi gaya ng sabi nila, na hindi kayang isabay ang programa doon po sa pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin. Sana po mahanapan pa po nila ng paraan, na sa madaling panahon, masabay po nila yung programang tulong na pinansyal sa mga kababayan natin doon po sa pagtaas ng taxes sa napakaraming presyo, sa napakaraming bilihin sa ating bansa. And because of that, Mr. President, I, unfortunately, cannot support this measure. Thank you, Mr. President.

Sen. Bam Aquino votes to reject Martial Law extension

Senator Bam Aquino voted to reject the government’s call to extend Martial Law in Mindanao because of the absence of actual rebellion now that firefighting in Marawi City has ceased.
 
Sen. Bam mentioned that in the deliberations of the 1987 Constitution, the framers used the word actual instead of imminent so as not to create confusion and not to give the President a wide latitude of discretion which may be abused.
 
Also, Sen. Bam believes that the one-year extension is too long, which could abrogate the Congress’ duty on check and balances, which is provided by the Constitution among the branches of government.
 
“One year seems unreasonable. It is akin to being indefinite as there are no clear milestones to reach and no distinct reasons for needing an entire year,” said Sen. Bam.
 
“The period of the original declaration is 60 days. Any extension should be reckoned in this light, so 1 whole year really seems grossly unreasonable,” said Sen. Bam.
 
Sen. Bam stressed that Martial Law is an extraordinary measure and that the military should not need Martial Law in order to function well and keep Mindanao secure.
 
“The reasons given by the Executive are persistent all over the country, not just in Mindanao. The logic used in the request for extension can easily be used to declare nationwide Martial Law,” warned Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam: All systems go for free college education!

Sen. Bam Aquino happily announced that the revolutionary reform for free college education has been funded by Congress, as he voted in support of the ratification of the 2018 national budget.

“Ngayon na may pondo na ng 40 bilyong piso para sa libreng kolehiyo, maaasahan ng mga estudyante na magiging libre na ang tuition at miscellaneous fees sa mga pampublikong unibersidad at kolehiyo,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, the principal sponsor and co-author of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act in the Senate.

“Natutuwa tayo na mas maraming Pilipino na ang makaka-graduate sa kolehiyo salamat sa tulong ng gobyerno,” added Sen. Bam.

According to Sen. Bam, the bicameral conference committee allotted P40 billion in the 2018 budget for free college education in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges and TESDA-run vocational schools.

“We thank the members of the bicameral conference committee for prioritizing education. Our sincerest gratitude to our Finance Committee chairperson, Sen. Loren Legarda for defending and working to keep the budget for free education,” said Sen. Bam.

However, Sen. Bam said there’s still work to be done once the law is rolled out. “We must ensure that the law is implemented properly for the benefit of our students,” said Sen. Bam.

Thanks to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, tuition fees will be free in SUCs, LUCs and TESDA-run technical vocational schools.

Students will also be spared from paying miscellaneous and all other mandatory fees while scholarship grants will be made available to students of both public and private college and universities.

Under RA 10931, students can also avail of the new and improved student loan program, where they can apply for financing for other educational needs.

“Now that more Filipinos have access to a college education, let’s work on improving the quality of public education in the country,” stressed Sen. Bam.

 

 

Sen. Bam to gov’t: Guarantee financial assistance before price increase

Senator Bam Aquino urged the government to ensure that financial assistance for the poor through the cash transfer program is implemented by the time the tax reform program is rolled out.
 
“Mahihirap na pamilya ang masasagasaan ng tax reform dahil sa pagtaas ng bilihin. Kaya dapat talagang isabay ang financial assistance sa pagpapatupad ng TRAIN sa Enero 2018 kapag ito’y naisabatas,” Sen. Bam said in a radio interview.
 
Sen. Bam was referring to the financial assistance that will be given to poor Filipino families to help them absorb the brunt of the effects of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) once it is enacted into law and implemented in January 2018.
 
Under the Senate version of financial assistance, poor families will be given P300 a month for three years.
 
During the period of amendments, Sen. Bam worked for the retention of the financial assistance program in the Senate version of the measure and pushed for its implementation on January 2018 to help the poor Filipinos bear the brunt of the expected increase in prices of basic commodities and services.
 
However, the Department of Finance (DOF) said it cannot implement the cash transfer program and the TRAIN at once but will try to do so.
 
Even the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) stated that they cannot roll out the cash transfer program in January 2018, as they still need to finalize the database of families, among other preparations.
 
“Sana makita natin sa final version na magkasabay ang programang iyan para sa mahihirap. Kung may mangyayaring pagtaas ng presyo, dapat kasabay sa Enero ang tulong na ibibigay sa kanila,” said Sen. Bam.
 
“Kailangan masiguro natin na may makukuhang suporta ang ating mga mahihirap na kababayan na magsisilbing pambalanse sa mga epekto ng panukalang ito, kabilang na ang pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin,” Sen. Bam added.
 
Aside from the financial assistance, Sen. Bam pushed for the amendment to exempt micro-enterprises from paying the 3% percentage tax, on top of their income tax exemption.
 
With Sen. Bam’s amendment, micro-entrepreneurs like sari-sari stores, vendors, and farmers would enjoy tax-free status and be spared from harassment by tax agents. The senator also proposed to simplify bookkeeping records and requirements for micro businesses. Sen. Bam’s amendments would come at no additional cost to the government.

Sen. Bam calls on stakeholders, leaders to unite for education reform

After the passage of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, Sen. Bam Aquino called on different education stakeholders and leaders to unite and work together for education reform to give more Filipino students a chance at a better future. 
 
“Now that we’ve passed our major reform, giving more Filipinos access to a college education through the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, we must move to strengthen the quality of education in the country,” said Sen. Bam during his speech at the 2017 Philippine Education Summit. 
 
At the event, various stakeholders including the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Deveopment Authority (TESDA) presented their accomplishments over the past year, the challenges that lay ahead and their plans to improve access to quality education in the Philippines. 
 
“Let’s work together to ensure that there is a seamless transition from student to employee or entrepreneur through strong academic-industry linkages,” added Sen. Bam. 
 
During his time as chairman of the Committee on Education in the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam worked with stakeholders in the crafting of reforms that can give more Filipinos access to quality education. 
 
While his chairmanship was a short one, Sen. Bam spearheaded the passage of one of the most important education reforms in the country –Republic Act 10931 or Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which he pushed in the Senate as principal sponsor and co-author. 
 
The law provides free education to students in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges and TESDA-run vocational schools. Aside from tuition fees, the government will shoulder miscellaneous and all other mandatory fees. 
 
Scholarship grants will be made available to students of both public and private college and universities. It also provides a new and improved student loan program, where students can apply for financing for other education expenses. 
 
In addition, students taking post-graduate studies can avail of the new and improved student loan program and scholarships under the law. 
 
During his speech, Sen. Bam has given his commitment to ensure that the law will be funded and implemented properly to ensure that “every Filipino has access to quality education and better opportunities to make a living.”

Sen. Bam: Balik Scientist Bill hurdles Senate on third and final reading

The Senate has passed on third and final reading a measure seeking to attract scientists and experts of Filipino descent residing overseas to return to the Philippines and help boost the country’s research and development, according to Sen. Bam Aquino.

Principally authored and sponsored by Sen. Bam, Senate Bill No. 1533 under Committee Report No. 143, or the Balik Scientist Bill, hurdled the third and final reading via a 13-0 vote.

 “This is a step towards improving the country’s research and development sector. We must support more initiatives to empower our scientists and researchers,” said Sen. Bam, chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology.

 The measure aims to provide overseas Filipino scientists with financial benefits and incentives to encourage them to return to the Philippines and help boost the country’s research and development.

 It seeks to institutionalize the Balik Scientist Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), which successfully encouraged some of our scientists to return and contribute to research that will help address development gaps in the Philippines.

 If enacted into law, Sen. Bam hopes that it will also address the lack of science professionals caused by the exodus of scientists and researchers to other countries.

 In a recent committee hearing spearheaded by Sen. Bam, it was revealed that the Philippines has 189 scientists per million, a far cry from the ideal ratio of 380 scientists per million.

Compared to other countries, the Philippines lags behind South Korea and United States, which have 5,300 and 3,500 scientists per million, respectively. Malaysia, for its part, has 2,000 scientists per million.

 A Balik Scientist is a science and technology expert or professional, as certified by the DOST, who is currently or who was formerly a Filipino citizen or a foreigner of Filipino descent, residing abroad, and contracted by the government to return and serve in the Philippines along his or her field of expertise under short, medium, or long term engagement.

Sen. Bam: No more taxes for micro businesses

Micro enterprises earning less than P250,000 annually will no longer be required to pay percentage taxes thanks to the amendment pushed by Sen. Bam Aquino on the proposed tax reform program.

 During the period of amendments on the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN), Sen. Bam pushed for an amendment that exempts micro enterprises earning below P250,000 from paying percentage tax, on top of their income tax exemption.

“Exempted na sa percentage tax ang mga fishball vendors, sari-sari store owners, pati ang mga magsasaka at mangingisda na kumikita ng 250,000 pesos or less sa isang taon,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, a former social entrepreneur and principal sponsor of the Go Negosyo Act.

“We moved for this amendment because we have received many reports that some micro businesses are being required to pay the 3% percentage tax,” Sen. Bam added.

 Sen. Bam said the amendment will ensure a tax-free status for our micro entrepreneurs and free them from harassment by tax agents, at no additional cost to the government. The senator also proposed to simplify bookkeeping records and requirements for micro businesses.

 Sen. Bam is thankful to Sen. Sonny Angara, chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, for accepting both these amendments in support of the micro enterprise sector.

 “Protektahan natin ang kita ng mga maliliit na negosyo at kabuhayan ng maraming pamilyang Pilipino,” said Sen. Bam, adding that this will help one million Filipinos or more.

 The Senate will continue to deliberate on the amendments to the TRAIN on Monday. “We will ensure that this amendment will make it to the end,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam fears whitewash at Customs

A senator expressed shock over the Department of Justice’s decision to clear Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials in connection with the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu into the country last May.

“Kakaiba iyan. Sa aming pagdinig sa Senado, kitang-kita na hindi mangyayari ang pagpasok ng droga sa bansa kung walang kasabwat sa loob ng BOC. It takes two to tango,” said Sen. Bam Aquino during a radio interview.

“Whether pinapasok iyan dahil kasangkot sila, o dahil sa corruption dahil nasilaw sila sa pera. Whatever the case, liable pa rin sila at kasama pa rin sila sa nagpasok ng droga sa bansa,” added the senator.

“Kakaiba ho iyan pero marami namang kakaiba sa DOJ ngayon,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam stressed that the draft report of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, headed by Sen. Richard Gordon, recommended that cases be filed against Customs officials, led by former commissioner Nicanor Faeldon.

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