Senators say Duterte giving them free hand in tackling tax reform program

Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

President Rodrigo Duterte is now keeping his hands off on the proposed tax reform package bill, which he wanted the Senate to pass “in full.”

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means, said the measure was among the issues discussed when Duterte met with congressional leaders and Cabinet members Tuesday.

“We had an exchange of views with the Cabinet members on many topics, including the tax reform, and at the end, the President said: ‘Bahala kayo d’yan, it’s up to you,’” Angara said in a text message on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said that based on his own reading after the meeting, the President would allow the Senate to tweak the bill, and not adopt in full the version that was approved by the House of Representatives.

“Ang dating nga sa akin ha, personal kong reading kay Presidente, payag s’ya a sa tweak, payag s’yang likutin namin (yung bill). Hindi ko sinasabing in full, I want it passed in full, hindi, hindi. Payag s’yang likutin namin na hindi masyadong masakit damdamin sa ating mga kababayan at makikinabang ‘yung mga pinangakuan n’ya noong election, noong kampanya na aalisin ‘yung income tax,” Sotto said in an interview over DZBB.

(What I can surmise from it, my owner personal reading from the President’s statement, is that he is open for us to tweak the bill. I am not saying the entire bill. I still want it passed in full. But it looks like he is open for us to tweak it in a way that it will not hurt those who are counting on his promise in his campaign to eliminate the income tax.)

READ: Senate set to tackle Duterte’s tax reform package next week

This was contrary to Duterte’s pronouncements when he prodded the Senate during his second state of the nation address last July 24 to pass the tax reform “in full.” The President, in his speech, even singled out Angara to “watch out in the election.”

But Sotto said that during the meeting in Malacañang, Duterte told Angara that he was only joking when he made the remark.

READ: Angara won’t budge on tax reform package

“Sabi nya kay Sonny Angara, ‘binibiro lang kita ha’. ‘Yun ang sabi n’ya kay Sonny (He told Sonny Angara, ‘I was just kidding.’ That’s what he told Sonny),” Sotto said, quoting Duterte.

“’Hindi ko naman po siniseryoso,’ sabi ni Sonny. Sabi n’ya (Duterte), ‘binibiro lang kita ha (Sonny said he did not take it seriously. Duterte said he was just kidding),’” the Majority Leader added. IDL