Press Release
July 28, 2009

Senate President: No to new taxes;
says Congress must stimulate economy

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile today said Congress should not impose new taxes on the Filipino people and should instead come up with new ways to "stimulate and hasten the momentum of business and industry in the country."

Speaking the opening session of the Third Regular Session of the 14th Congress, Enrile also assured the country that no Charter Change initiative will prosper "without the participation of the Senate."

"We need laws that will ease the heavy burdens on our citizens, business enterprises, and their goods and social services," Enrile said in his opening day speech. "The people are in need of concrete reliefs. They cannot take on any more additional tax burdens."

The Senate President urged Congress leaders as well as Malacanang officials "to reassess our fiscal policies and economic objectives, and devise more creative ways and means to stimulate and hasten the momentum of business and industry in the country, instead of simply looking at taxing the people more."

"Otherwise, the result might be worse than just economic stagnation" Enrile pointed out. "Over-taxing the people might result in a rapid deterioration of the economy, and in massive poverty with its consequent adverse social and political repercussions."

In his speech, Enrile assured his Senate colleagues that he will not allow a House-alone Charter Change initiative that is being pushed by certain pro-administration congressmen.

"Let me assure our people that no charter change will take place without the participation of the Senate," Enrile said. "I have vowed to protect the independence of the Senate, and I will do so within the powers granted to me under the Constitution and our Rules."

Enrile said he was calling on his counterparts in the House of Representatives "to work together with the Senate and let national interest be the top agenda."

He underscored the need for Congress to address the pressing needs of the populace by passing laws that would ease the economic difficulties of the people.

"We open the Third and Final Session of the Fourteenth Congress with plenty of tasks still to be done and completed. At a time when our people are looking forward to real and meaningful reforms, changes, and better economic conditions in the face of the global financial crisis, we must hit the ground running and act purposively and urgently," Enrile said.

He noted that while the economic and finance managers projected a slight improvement in our Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter of the year, he said there were "local and international financial institutions which claim that recession would hit the country by the end of this year, and that the ranks of the unemployed would continue to swell."

"In the face of these gloomy predictions and with the growing sense of uncertainty and fear of a widening poverty engulfing the nation, we, the elected leaders of the people and as members of this Senate, are all the more called upon to devote our time, energy, and attention to addressing the pressing needs of the populace with all the commitment, diligence, devotion to duty, statesmanship, and patriotism that we can muster."

Enrile said Congress must satisfy the expectation of the people by passing laws "that would ease the economic difficulties faced by them -- laws that would provide a healthy and stable business environment; laws that would enhance their competitiveness; laws that would preserve existing jobs; laws that would prevent businesses from closing down; and laws that would encourage the creation of additional job opportunities for those without jobs."

"We also need legislations that would address the equally important problems of our degraded environment, our unstable law and order condition, our public health system, our human rights issues, our social justice goals, and our effort to protect our consumers," he said. "There is also a need to reform and strengthen the regulatory agencies that are tasked to protect the people from unscrupulous activities of grasping businessmen, and to ensure that commerce is protected from unfair practices and cabals that would ultimately hurt business enterprises and their consuming public. "

At the same time, Enrile also urged government to take more drastic measures in the campaign against corruption, illegal drugs and terrorism.

"We must attack the pernicious problem of systemic corruption on all fronts. Corruption in government should not just remain a platform for politicians to gain popular credit. It should be something that ought to be tackled with action and meaningful reforms. Corruption breeds not only in an inefficient bureaucracy, but also, and more importantly, in a society that tolerates and takes it conveniently as a given," Enrile said.

He said the public must help government in eradicating the illegal drugs menace. "It destroys lives and families, and seriously places our citizens' health, safety, and security at serious risk," Enrile said. "With huge amount of money generated from the sale of illegal drugs, the capitalists of this nefarious business and its traders and dealers are capable of shaking the foundations of our society. They could control our law enforcers, our prosecutors, our judges, and perhaps even some of our influential politicians."

The Senate president also said that government "must put a stop to acts of terrorism in the country, whether committed by rogues masquerading as ideologues, or just plain and simple criminals."

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