Press Release
June 7, 2018

Parang MRT: 'Mabagal ang Rollout ng Tulong'
POE REITERATES NEED TO RELEASE TRAIN SUBSIDIES

The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law has every good intention, except that it has turned into an MRT: 'Mabagal ang Rollout ng Tulong.'

Sen. Grace Poe coined the term as she shared the public's exasperation over the non-implementation of the safeguards under the TRAIN law amid the continuous rise in prices of commodities and services.

"Ang Tax Reform for Acceleration ay may kasamang Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, ibig sabihin included lahat ng tao, dapat walang maiiwanan diyan lalung-lalo na ang mga mahihirap," she said in a radio interview.

"Ang nangyayari, imbes na TRAIN, nagiging MRT, Mabagal ang Roll-out ng Tulong, 'di ba MRT. So palaging palyado sila, kaya nga imbes na acceleration at inclusion, mabagal ang roll-out ng tulong, at talagang maling-mali iyon," she added.

Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, has conducted several public hearings on the impact of the new tax reform law on the people. Recently, she wrote the Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III as well as Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade, Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III, Social Welfare Sec. Virginia Orogo and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra III to "take steps" toward the immediate release of the mandated subsidies.

The subsidies are critical component of the law to ease the impact of the new measure especially on the poor Filipinos.

"Ang hindi natin dapat makalimutan ay ito, noong itong TRAIN law, kumokolekta na ang gobyerno ng kita diyan dahil nga ipinatong na iyan sa mga commodities, pero yung tulong na dapat ibibigay nila--P24 billion po iyan na dapat ay ipinapamahagi sa mahihirap nating mga kababayan, naibigay na namin iyan sa budget last year pa--dapat by January naibigay na nila iyan. Pero hindi pa nila naibibigay dahil hanggang ngayon ay wala pang malinaw na guidelines," Poe said.

"Unfair po iyon sapagkat ang pinakamahihirap na pamilya ay dapat makatanggap ng at least P200 more a month, maliit na bagay pero kahit papaano ay makakatulong iyan doon sa mga unconditional cash transfer beneficiaries," she added.

Under the TRAIN law, the four million household poorest of the poor beneficiaries receiving the government's unconditional cash transfer will increase to 10 million families. However, the government has yet to release the guidelines in determining the additional beneficiaries.

The law also prescribes a subsidy for public utility drivers affected by the high fuel prices through fuel vouchers. Poe said a total of P900 million was allotted for this under the 2018 budget.

"Hanggang ngayon hindi pa maayos sa DOTr kung ano ba talaga ang detalye nito, so paano makakapagbigay ng diskwento ang mga drivers natin--additional discounts sa senior citizens, sa mga estudyante, sa mga mahihirap bunsod nitong TRAIN law--kung hindi pa rin naibibigay sa kanila ang fuel vouchers nila," she said.

Poe announced she would conduct another public hearing on the TRAIN law's impact impact next month.

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