Ninoy, Digong of same mold

My column of Jan. 3, 2017, was met with much criticism from many readers.

In that column, I suggested the final option: executing very corrupt and abusive government officials or making them disappear after first warning them to stop their nefarious activities.

Ambeth Ocampo, in his Inquirer column on Friday that cited documents from the US state department and other agencies, mentioned a very revealing character of Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino.

The US documents, Ocampo said, quoted Ninoy as saying that if he were president he would “execute corrupt officials at Luneta as a lesson to other officials that he means business.”

Although born generations apart, Ninoy and President Digong are of the same mold.

Both didn’t have a taint of corruption and both pursued peaceful coexistence with communist rebels when they were local officials—Mr. Duterte as Davao City mayor and Aquino as Tarlac governor.

Aquino would have been as ruthless as President Digong to criminals and drug lords.

Had Ninoy Aquino become president instead of his widow, Cory, the course of history would have been changed for the better; perhaps we would now have less crime and corruption.

And there would have been no need for a Duterte to save us from the clutches of illegal drugs.

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The House of Representatives has approved House Bill No. 4144, which amends the Sin Tax Law and provides for a two-tier tax system on cigarettes.

The Senate is discussing the possibility of passing or rejecting the two-tier system.

Under the two-tier system, cheaper cigarette brands are taxed lower than expensive ones. In contrast, the unitary system imposes the same amount of excise tax on cigarettes of all brands, whether cheap or expensive.

Why is the two-tier tax system on cigarettes more reasonable than the unitary system?

Because the two-tier system will keep the price of cheap cigarette brands affordable to the masses as the tax on their favorite brands will be minimal.

If the unitary system is carried out, cheap brands will become expensive and a drain on the poor man’s pocket.

Rich smokers will hardly complain if their cigarette brand, which is oftentimes imported, becomes more expensive because they can well afford it.

Why is the two-tier system beneficial to the government? Because it provides for an equitable approach to tax collection while spurring revenue collection.

The cigarette-smoking masses will tend to increase in number because the prices of their favorite brands practically remain under the two-tier system.

The more cigarette smokers, the more packs consumed and more revenues for the government.