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VAT is all the fuss?

It is in the bag. Members of the House of Representatives must have been reassuring Malacañang since day 1 of deliberations on the passing of Bill 3555 or the VAT increase. While the Partylist representatives and a handful from the opposition battled their way to register fierce protest to the oppressive bill, the hot line from Malacañang was incessant and imaginably cajoling. This resounding approval of the bill was a proof of loyalty and allegiance to the President, one nincompoop lawmaker said. As if it was PGMA who entrusted him the vote of confidence in the last elections. Clearly, the Malacañang occupant had no pretenses of arm-twisting, and heaven knows, she promised the moon and stars and perhaps, heaven itself to those who would give their nod to the bill. And the people can go hungry and angry and go to hell.

Protesting militants led by BAYAN rallied outside Congress, and warned the nation to mark in memory those so-called “people’s representatives” who voted in favor of the bill, who signed another death warrant for the already gasping economic condition of the poor just so the IMF imposition could be followed.

We know who these calloused lawmakers are. And we know whose interest they really serve. Disconnected from the realities of their own constituents, they would rather uphold their narrow, selfish political party’s interest and pander to the regime’s patronage. How can they even mouth words like “common good” and “national interest and recovery” when they can easily bow down to a foreign financial power-broker? How can they have the decency to call themselves representatives of the people when they are so indebted to one person or political party?

Rather than listen to the people who can barely send their children to school and whose standard table fare are noodles and canned goods, these lawmakers muddle the argument and mumble economic jargon that will not resolve hunger. Rather than seriously battle corruption among their ranks in government where the people’s money is viciously and wantonly spent, they pass the burden to the already economically crippled consumer.

Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela Women’s Party and other oppositionists to the expanded VAT initiated House Resolution 91 directing the Committee on Ways and Means to investigate the estimated P285 billion yearly losses of the government due to tax leakage or tax collections that were waived and subsequently undermined government revenues. The same resolution should have also asked government to look into other remedial measures to improve tax efforts instead of hastily passing the onus to the economically handicapped majority.

But Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo until today has not persecuted the biggest, most brazenly corrupt officials in her government and the favored economic elite who bled the national coffers dry and caused this fiscal crisis. The same woman has not ceased allotting the biggest cut in the national budget to pay foreign debts that never benefited the people who are now carrying the burden of the fiscal crisis. This is the president who would rather spend for military build-up rather then feed the people. This is the chief executive and economist who forced the bitter pill on the people to hasten their demise.

Yes, there is so much to curse about the VAT. And the first goes to those who passed it.

The fuss is over life and death. Those who approved it know not of struggle for decent survival. Remember them and consign them to ignominy. #

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