Article by:
Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – Partido Reporma standard bearer Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson on Tuesday said he is determined to use technological solutions to eliminate corruption if he wins as the country's next president.
In a statement, he said this will promote social justice in the process, especially for the working-class Filipinos, who always have a hard time fighting to get decent wages.
Lacson also explained how his plans for the digitalization of all government processes can address the constant problem of low-wage earners seeking better salary increments from their employers.
Under the Labor Code, minimum wage rates in the country are determined by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board—an attached organization of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) -- with representations from the employers’ and employees’ sectors.
“Tatlo ‘yan e. Sila nagde-determine kung magkano dapat ang wage, ‘yung living wage at saka ‘yung real wage ng mga tao sa isang region (It’s three-way. They are the ones who will determine the average wage -- the living wage and real wage of workers in a particular region),” the presidential aspirant said.
Lacson, however, said some employers are not honest when it comes to their financial records, which makes it difficult for their workforce or the labor union to appeal or negotiate for wage increases.
“Alam mo ba na ‘yung mga employers, tatlo ang libro niyan e. ‘Yung isang libro ‘yung totoo, ‘yung kinikita. ‘Yung isang libro pang-BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue). ‘Yung isang libro ipakita sa mga trabahador kung mayroong pag-uusap para sa collective bargaining agreement (CBA) (Did you know that these employers have three sets of books (for their financial statements)? One set reflects their real profits. The other set is for the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue). The other set is what is shown to their employees during the negotiation for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA)," Lacson said.
“So, pagka ‘yung pinag-uusapan na ‘yung pagtaas ng sahod, ang ipinapakita ‘yung pangatlo -- ‘yung para lang sa mga workers. Mawalang-galang na sa mga employers ha, pero ito talaga ‘yung reality. Tapos ‘pag BIR, iba rin ‘yung version; at saka ‘yung totoo, ‘yung para sa kanila lang (So, when there is a discussion about pay hikes, what they present is the third one, which is meant only for the workers. With all due respect to the employers, but this is the reality. Then, there’s a separate version for the BIR; and the real one is for them (management) alone)," he added.
Lacson said issues like these can be avoided if the full digitalization of government processes is implemented with a highly sophisticated algorithm designed to detect fraud, thereby compelling businesses and other high-income tax-paying individuals to be honest about their financial records.
He added that the promotion of a digital governance framework centered on the enhancement of revenue collection processes, both from the BIR and the Bureau of Customs, will enable the government to create a balanced budget that will address the socio-economic problems besetting the nation and its people while avoiding as much as possible the imposition of new taxes or any tax increase.
Lacson also said he is looking at the possibility of establishing cross-referencing mechanisms between the BIR and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a starting point to achieve these goals.
This way, the government would be able to determine and assess whether the numbers declared and reported in the income taxes filed by businesses and wealthy taxpayers are correct, or whether they are hiding something.
Similar systems will be applied to the databases of other government agencies to enable the government to evaluate whether a person or business is reporting the right information and paying the right taxes -- whether their total assets such as real properties and automobiles are commensurate to the income they declare, Lacson said.
He added that this is similar to the system being implemented by the United States federal government.
“Ito lahat nasa sistema. Naging parang nasa kultura na natin na ‘sige na lang e pare-pareho naman ‘yan.’ Mali ‘yung ganoong attitude. Dapat talaga magkaroon tayo ng isang agent of change na tinatawag na talagang determinado. Kami ‘yon ni Senate President Tito Sotto (This will all be included in the system. Because it appears that we have adopted a culture of ‘let it slide, everyone’s the same anyways.’ That attitude is wrong. It’s about time we have someone who we can call as agents of change, who are really determined. That’s Senate President Tito Sotto and I)," he added.
A part of the Lacson-Sotto tandem's overall socioeconomic agenda is the resurgence of economic activity by reducing unemployment and investing in micro-, small- and medium enterprises (MSMEs). (with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
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