TRAIN

VP Leni, House Minority throw support behind Sen. Bam’s Bawas Presyo Bill

Vice President Leni Robredo and members of the House minority have thrown their full support for the passage of Sen. Bam Aquino’s Bawas Presyo Bill to alleviate the burden of the Filipino people due to high prices of goods and services.
 
“Panahon na para umaksiyon at maghanap ng kongkretong solusyon sa mahal na presyo ng bilihin,” said Vice President Robredo during a press conference where she was joined by Sens. Aquino and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Cong. Miro Quimbo and Kit Belmonte.
 
According to Vice President Robredo, it is high time for the government to suspend the excise tax on fuel under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, which is being pushed under Sen. Bam’s Senate Bill No. 1798 or the Bawas Presyo Bill.
 
“I-suspend na ang probisyon ng TRAIN 1 ukol sa excise tax sa krudo at i-review ang anumang additional cash transfer,” said Vice President Robredo.
 
Quimbo, for his part, is set to file a counter-part measure of the Bawas Presyo Bill in the House of Representatives. 
 
“Kaya kami nagsama-sama upang iparating sa pamahalaan na ito ang urgent na ang problemang ito at kailangan ng mabilis na solusyon. Nalulunod na sa taas ng presyo ang mga Pilipino,” said Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the TRAIN Law.
 
Sen. Bam stressed that the measure will help ease the suffering of the Filipino people, especially the poor, from the high prices of goods and services brought by the TRAIN Law.
 
“May magagawa ang gobyerno para mapababa agad ang presyo ng bilihin. Nasa harap na ng ilong ng economic managers ang solusyon pero bakit ayaw nilang gawin?” Sen. Bam emphasized.
 
“Ang Bawas-Presyo Bill ay simpleng solusyon sa napakalaking problema ng pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin,” added Sen. Bam.
 
Sen. Bam said his measure, if enacted into law, will immediately suspend and roll back the excise tax on fuel, meaning that prices of gasoline and diesel will go down by P2.65 and P2.50 per liter, respectively. The price of LPG will go down by one peso per kilo or P11 per 11-kilogram tank.
 
“Mapipigilan pa natin ang pagtaas ng excise tax sa Enero 2019 kung kikilos agad ang gobyerno para hindi na madagdagan pa ang paghihirap ng taumbayan,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam: ‘Wag paikutin ang taumbayan sa pahamak ng TRAIN Law

Sen. Bam Aquino disputed the government’s pronouncement that there will be no jobs lost if the second package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) will be enacted into law.

“Sa TRAIN 1, sinabi ng gobyerno na hindi ito makaaapekto sa pagtaas ng presyo. Ngayong TRAIN 2, sinasabi nilang walang mawawalang trabaho ang mawawala. May maniniwala pa ba sa kanila?,” Sen. Bam asked

“Huwag na po niyong paikutin ang taumbayan. Nalulunod na nga sa taas presyo dahil sa TRAIN 1, lolokohin nyo pa pagdating dito sa TRAIN 2,” added Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the first TRAIN Law package. 

Sen. Bam also doubted the government’s capacity to deliver on time the financial package proposed in the House version for workers who might be displaced once TRAIN 2 is enacted into law. 

“Malapit nang matapos ang 2018 pero hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin nila naibibigay ang pangakong tulong sa ilalim ng TRAIN 1 habang nalulunod na sa taas ng presyo ng bilihin ang mahihirap na Pilipino,” said Sen. Bam, referring to the unconditional cash transfer program and the Pantawid Pasada Program.

In a separate interview in San Fernando, Pampanga, Sen. Bam said locators in the Clark Freeport Zone might be forced to close shops and move to other countries if TRAIN 2 is enacted into law, which will lead to loss of jobs for thousands of Filipinos.

“Marami sa industry associations ang nagsabi na kapag natuloy ang TRAIN 2, aalis sila at lilipat sa Indonesia, Thailand at Vietnam. Mahalaga ang trabaho ng bawat Pilipino at kailangan natin itong protektahan,” said Sen. Bam, who committed to fight provisions in TRAIN 2 that will affect the employment of thousands of Filipinos.

“Marami na ngang palpak ang TRAIN 1, itutulak pa rin ang TRAIN 2. Siguraduhin na muna nating napag-aralan na talaga ang epekto ng mga panukalang ito kundi baka mayroon nanamang masasagasaang mahihirap na Pilipino,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam emphasized that the government should first address the problems caused by TRAIN 1, like its effects on inflation and prices of goods, before pushing for TRAIN 2.

Instead of insisting on the passage of TRAIN 2, Sen. Bam said the government should support his measure that aims to address the high prices of goods caused by TRAIN 1.

Sen. Bam has filed Senate Bill No. 1798 or the Bawas Presyo Bill, which seeks to suspend the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law when the average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.

The senator is pushing for the passage of the measure since there is a scheduled second round of increase in excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law in January 2019.

Sen. Bam to economic managers: Protektahan ang magsasaka’t mangingisda, suportahan ang ‘Bawas Presyo Bill’

The government must consider the welfare of farmers and fishermen when they tackle the proposed lower tariffs for meat, fish and rice, Sen. Bam Aquino insisted.

“Lowering the tariffs will lower the price. Pero sa pagbaba ng presyo ng imported, ang ating magsasaka at mangingisda naman ang masasagasaan,” said Sen. Bam during the briefing on the proposed 2019 National Expenditure Program.

“Kailangan natin protektahan ang mga Pilipinong nalulunod na sa taas-presyo,” Sen. Bam told National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general Ernesto Pernia, who assured the senator that there will be consultations with the sectors regarding the matter.

Sen. Bam also asked the government’s economic managers to ensure that mitigating measures are in place for millions of farmers before implementing rice tariffication.

“Rice tariffication will have a detrimental effect to 3.5 million Filipino rice farmers. Bago pa ito ipatupad, dapat nakahanda na ang tulong sa ating magsasaka,” said Sen. Bam, who said the delays in mitigating measures convinced him to vote “No” to the TRAIN Law.

The government plans to allot P10 billion in assistance to farmers to improve irrigation, establish small water impounding systems and provide them with better seeds and equipment.

Sen. Bam also urged economic managers to consider his “Bawas Presyo Bill” as a means to address the unprecedented inflation rate.

“My bill will institute a safeguard to allow us to rollback and suspend the excise tax on petroleum products,” said Sen. Bam, referring to Senate Bill No. 1798.

Sen. Bam’s measure seeks to suspend the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law when the average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.

“We need this safeguard before January. Kung hindi ipasa ang ‘Bawas Presyo Bill’, mamimilipit tayo sa paghahanap ng legal na paraan para pigilan ang pagtaas ng excise tax sa Enero,” said Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the TRAIN Law.

Sen. Bam: Pahirap ang TRAIN Law, hindi nakatulong sa mahihirap

Senator Bam Aquino disputed President Duterte’s claim in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law is already helping poor families cope up with rising prices.

“Hindi po kaya ng konsensya ko na tanggapin iyong sinabi sa SONA na nakakatulong daw ang TRAIN sa mahihirap dahil kabaligtaran po ang katotohanan,” said Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the government’s tax reform program.

”Kahit saan po ako pumunta, iisa ang sinasabi ng mga kababayan natin, nalulunod na sila sa taas presyo, hirap na hirap na ang kanilang pamilya,” added Sen. Bam.

While Sen. Bam liked President Duterte’s push for reforms with regards to rice, the senator insisted that the people wanted relief from the high prices of goods and services and the rising inflation.

“Tulad ng marami nating kababayan, umasa tayo kahapon na tutugunan ang lumalalang problema ng taas presyo pero nabigo po tayo,” said Sen. Bam.

“Ngunit hindi pa rito natatapos ang dusang hatid ng TRAIN dahil may panibago na namang increase sa January 2019 at sa January 2020. Hanggang hindi ito itinitigil ng gobyerno, tuluy-tuloy ang taas ng presyo,” he added.

 Around 10 million poor families were supposed to receive unconditional cash transfers to cushion the impact of the TRAIN. However, President Duterte admitted that only four million of those families have received transfers so far, while the other six million families have yet to receive a single cent of assistance from government.

  “Hindi dapat ipinagmamalaki ng gobyerno ang huli at kulang ang implementasyon. Dapat binigay na ang tulong na iyan noon pang January 2018,” said Sen. Bam.

With Malacanang firm on its stand to continue with the TRAIN Law, Sen. Bam is banking on his fellow lawmakers to put a halt to its implementation for the sake of the Filipino people who are already burdened with high prices of goods and services.

”Kailangan nating magtulungan na kumbinsihin ang mga mambabatas na ipreno ang TRAIN para sa ating mga kababayan na nagdurusa sa mahal na halaga ng bilihin,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam has filed a measure that seeks to suspend and roll back the excise tax on petroleum products under the TRAIN Law.

Under Sen. Bam’s measure, the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law will be suspended and rolled back once average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.

Sen. Bam also is pushing for the full implementation of mitigating measures under the TRAIN Law, such as the unconditional cash transfer program for poor families and the Pantawid Pasada for jeepney operators and drivers.

Sen. Bam: Food inflation up to 6.1%, suspend TRAIN now

Senator Bam Aquino warned that the continuing increase in the prices of goods will lead more Filipinos to hunger even as he renewed his call for the suspension of the government’s tax reform program.

Sen. Bam made this pronouncement as he noted that food inflation for June increased to 6.1 percent from 5.7 percent in May, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

“Lalong nalulunod sa taas-presyo ang taumbayan dahil sa totoo lang, mas nagmahal talaga ang pagkain nitong nakaraang buwan ayon sa sariling datos ng gobyerno,” said Sen. Bam, who has been consulting with families and communities on pressing issues, like rising prices.

“Sabi ng mga tindera ng isda na nakausap ko, matumal ang bili sa kanila kasi wala nang pera ang mga suki. Instant noodles at sardinas na lang ang mabili,” Sen. Bam added.

Sen. Bam said government data backs up the claim of many Filipinos that prices of goods and services have increased drastically since the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

 “Kung patuloy pong aakyat ang presyo ng pagkain, paano na kakain ng tatlong beses isang araw ang mahihirap nating kababayan?” added Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the TRAIN Law.

Sen. Bam said the government should act now and suspend the TRAIN Law so as to alleviate the plight of poor Filipinos, who are already burdened by the government’s tax reform program.

“Gutom po ang dulot nitong TRAIN sa mga mahirap nating kababayan kaya kailangan na talaga isuspinde ito agad,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam has been pushing for the suspension and rollback of the excise tax on petroleum products under the TRAIN Law to help lower the prices of fuel and goods at the same time.

The senator has submitted a measure seeking to stop and rollback the excise tax on fuel when average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.

Sen. Bam: Inflation doubled in 1 year, suspend TRAIN now

Senator Bam Aquino slammed the government’s continued inaction on the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law amid the doubling of the country’s inflation rate in a span of one year.

“Sa loob lang ng isang taon, dumoble na ang inflation rate ng bansa pero nagmamatigas pa rin ang gobyerno sa TRAIN Law,” said Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the government’s tax reform program.

“Malinaw ang mensahe ng 5.2 percent na inflation rate. Kailangan nang i-preno ang TRAIN sa lalong madaling panahon dahil nalulunod na sa taas presyo ang taumbayan,” said Sen. Bam

From 2.5 in June 2017, Sen, Bam said the country’s inflation rate soared to 5.2 in June 2018, based on the latest report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The latest inflation rate surpassed the projection by the country’s economic managers. The Department of Finance (DOF) predicted the inflation rate at 4.9 percent while Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas economists placed it at 5.1 percent.

Sen. Bam has been going around the country and meeting with different sectors to get their views about the government’s tax reform program. During his dialogue with different sectors, the senator received numerous complaints about high prices of goods and services and the lack of necessary support from the government.

Sen. Bam has been pushing for the suspension and rollback of the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law to ease the burden of Filipinos due to high prices of goods and services.

Sen. Bam has submitted a bill seeking to suspend and roll back the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law once average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period. 

In addition, Sen. Bam is pushing for the full implementation of mitigating measures under the TRAIN Law, such as the unconditional cash transfer program for poor families and the Pantawid Pasada for jeepney operators and drivers.

Sen. Bam to gov’t: Time to roll back fuel tax, suspend TRAIN law

Senator Bam Aquino stressed that it’s high time for the government to address the high prices of goods and services amid the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) projection that inflation rate could reach as high as 5.1 percent in June and the further weakening of the peso.

“Sa paghina ng piso, lalong nalulunod sa taas presyo ang mga Pilipino. Malaking porsiyento ng mga produkto sa merkado ay mayroong imported na raw materials, kaya ang tama ng pagbaba ng peso ay pagtaas na naman ng presyo,” said Sen. Bam, dispelling the statement of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno that weakening peso is not bad for the country.

“Pareho ang sinasabi ng datos ng gobyerno at karanasan ng maraming Pilipino, nalulunod ang taumbayan sa tumitinding taas presyo,” added Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.   

Sen. Bam maintained that the rise in inflation rate and the weakening peso are reasons enough for the government to suspend the TRAIN Law.

“Ano pa po ba ang patunay na kailangan ng gobyerno para isuspinde na ang pahirap na TRAIN?” emphasized Sen. Bam, who has been conducting dialogues with different sectors around the country on the effects of the TRAIN Law in the prices of goods and services..

“Sabi nga po ng isang tindera sa Bicol, kaming mahihirap ang ginawang riles para umandar ang TRAIN,” said Sen. Bam, adding that most, if not all, of the people whom he talked to are already burdened by the government’s tax reform law.

“Dumarami pa po ang nasasagasaan ng TRAIN, kailan po ihihinto ng gobyerno pahirap na ito,” added the senator, who has been pushing for the suspension and rollback of the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law to help lower the prices of goods.

Sen. Bam called on the government to support his measure calling for the immediate suspension of the excise tax on petroleum products under the TRAIN Law to ease the public’s burden.   

If passed into law, Sen. Bam’s measure will roll back the excise tax on fuel under the TRAIN Law once average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.   

 Sen. Bam also called on the government to fully implementation the mitigating measures under the TRAIN Law, such as the unconditional cash transfer program for poor families and the Pantawid Pasada for jeepney operators and drivers.

Sen. Bam hopes the President also hears cries of ordinary Filipinos on issue of inflation and rising prices

Senator Bam Aquino called on President Duterte to also listen to the cry of the people, especially the poor, on the high prices of goods and services caused by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

“Tama po kayo. Ramdam na ramdam na ng mamamayan ang paghina ng ekonomiya dahil nalulunod na ang Pilipino sa taas ng presyo,” said Sen. Bam, referring to Duterte’s pronouncement that the rising prices of goods could prolong the economic stagnation in the provinces.

“Ang isa sa magpapasigla sa ekonomiya lalo na sa probinsya at kanayunan ay ang pagpapababa ng presyo ng bilihin,” added Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the TRAIN Law.

Sen. Bam said Duterte must listen to the people, who are pleading on the government for respite from the burden of high prices of goods and services.

 “Sana po pakinggan natin ang hinaing at panawagan ng taumbayan, hirap na hirap na po ang pamilyang Pilipino dahil sa taas ng presyo. I-roll-back na natin ang excise tax sa petrolyo na dulot ng TRAIN law,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam renewed his call for the immediate suspension of the excise tax on petroleum products under the TRAIN Law to ease the public’s burden.

The senator has filed a measure seeking to roll back of TRAIN’s excise tax on fuel when average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.

Sen. Bam is also pushing for the full implementation of mitigating measures under the TRAIN Law, such as the unconditional cash transfer program for poor families and the Pantawid Pasada for jeepney operators and drivers.

In addition, Sen. Bam has also filed a resolution calling for an investigation regarding the implementation of the unconditional cash transfer to ensure if the amount is still sufficient to cover the increase in prices of goods and other services.

Sen. Bam: Don’t hold free tuition hostage to justify TRAIN Law

Don’t hold free college education hostage, government can afford free tuition even without the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

This was Sen. Bam Aquino’s reaction to the government’s statement that the free college education will be affected once the TRAIN Law is suspended.

“May iba namang pagkukunan ang gobyerno ng budget. Sa totoo lang malaki pa ang hindi nagagamit na pondo,” said Sen. Bam, one of the four senators who voted against the ratification of the TRAIN Law.

“Bakit kailangan i-hostage ang libreng kolehiyo? Tama na ang pagpapahirap sa taumbayan na nalulunod na sa pagtaas ng presyo,” added Sen. Bam who is principal sponsor of the Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

Sen. Bam insisted that the government has enough funds for the continued implementation of the free college education, even without the P70 billion expected revenue from the rollback of the excise tax on petroleum products under the TRAIN Law.

Sen. Bam also reminded the administration that underspending, or the allotted funds that were left untouched by government agencies, reached P390 billion for 2017. The budget for free college education was set at P41 billion for 2018.

“Mahalaga na alam ng pangulo ang totoong numero. Mahirap nang magdesisyon kapag mali mali ang binibigay na impormasyon,” Sen. Bam stressed.

Sen. Bam recalled that government economic managers told the Senate during TRAIN deliberations that inflation will not breach the four-percent mark. Last month, the country’s inflation reached 4.6 percent.

“Ang paglalaan ng pondo ay batay sa mga prayoridad ng gobyerno. Kung hindi nila bibigyan ng pondo ang libreng kolehiyo, ibig sabihin, hindi ito mahalaga para sa kanila,” Sen. Bam maintained.

“Isa pa, hindi namin hahayaan sa Senado na hindi mapondohan ang batas na ito, na layong suportahan ang mahihirap ng Pilipino na umasenso sa tulong ng edukasyon,” added Sen. Bam. 

Sen. Bam supports VAT reduction to ease burden of price surge, TRAIN Law

Senator Bam Aquino expressed support behind the move to reduce value-added tax (VAT) to 10 percent, saying it will help ease the burden of high prices of goods and services on Filipinos, especially the poor.

“Suportado natin ang pagbaba sa VAT at mga panukalang magbibigay ginhawa sa mga pamilyang nalulunod na sa pagtaas ng presyo. Mahalagang aksyunan na natin ito,” said Sen. Bam, one of four senators who voted against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law.

While he supports the move, Sen. Bam promises to ensure that the exemptions under the VAT will remain, including those given to cooperatives, senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

“Kailangan nang isalba ang mga Pilipinong nasagasaan ng TRAIN law. Kung ang pagbaba ng VAT uunahin ng Senado, susuportahan natin ito,” said Sen. Bam.

In the Senate, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Risa Hontiveros have been pushing for the lowering of VAT.

“Patuloy rin naming ilalaban ang pag-preno sa TRAIN at pag-roll-back ng excise tax. Kailangan gawin ang lahat ng ating makakaya upang tulungan ang mga pamilyang hirap na hirap na,” Sen. Bam added.

As part of his efforts to ease the burden of the TRAIN Law on Filipinos, Sen. Bam has filed a measure seeking to suspend the collection of the excise tax under the government’s tax reform program once the average inflation rate surpasses the annual inflation target over a three-month period.

In addition, Sen. Bam is pushing for the full implementation of mitigating measures under the TRAIN Law, such as the unconditional cash transfer program for poor families and the Pantawid Pasada for jeepney operators and drivers.

Sen. Bam has also filed a resolution calling for an investigation regarding the implementation of the unconditional cash transfer to ensure if the amount is still sufficient to cover the increase in prices of goods and other services.

Scroll to top