"The President knows his math."
At Monday’s (July 1, 2019) forum designed as a precursor to President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, two key cabinet members painted or promised nirvana for the Filipino people.
Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez maintained that TRAIN (Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion), which is basically a tax package more than a tax relief, was actually endorsed by the Filipino electorate during the May 13, 2019 elections
Ten of Duterte’s candidates won ten of 12 senatorial slots at stake. At the same time, the President’s allies and candidates of the coalition, either cobbled by his PDP-Laban party, or his daughter Sara’s Hugpong Ng Pagbabago), swept most of the local LGU and congressional seats contested, giving the administration huge political capital over the next three years.
“The election victories of proponents and supporters in Congress of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law showed support, not opposition to, the administration’s tax reforms,” Dominguez said, as reported by the Inquirer.
For his part, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar claimed Duterte’s P9-trillion Build, Build, Build infra program involving 75 projects is being accelerated and that it is actually do-able to travel from Makati to Cubao by yearend.
None of the eight opposition senatorial candidates under the Liberal Party’s Otso Diretso won. Former President BS Aquino III’s first cousin, reelectionist Senator Bam Aquino, and his (Noynoy’s) best friend, with whom he shared girl friends, returning former Senator Mar Roxas, were among the big opposition losers.
As a result, there are now only four LP opposition senators in the 24-member Senate and only 18 LP congressmen in a Lower House of 354 members. The four LP senators are: Frank Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, and Leila de Lima (detained).
Dominguez promised more food at stable prices, a slower rate of rise (or inflation) in prices of commodities, cheaper money for lending because of the country’s investment-grade rating (BBB+ stable, the best in 100 years); greater spending by the government (for education, for health, for policemen and soldiers, for social pension, for agriculture, or as a ratio of GDP, 19 percent, the highest in 28 years); a simpler, fairer, and more efficient tax regime (simply stated, you will pay more and higher taxes, such as those imposed on diesel and other refined petroleum products, coffee, orange and other sweet juices, liquor and cigarets, autos, and services offered by Dr. Vicky Belo, and increased fees rendered by government corporations which are required to hike dividends paid their owner, the government); start of the $935-million Metro Manila Subway funded by Japan), full operations of the Clark Airport City within a year; more cheap foreign loans, more foreign investments, tax breaks for big corporations (but of course); easier ways of doing business (wow!), more efficient and more accountable government (wow!!!), lower unemployment rate (at 5.17 percent in April 2019, a triple wow); lower poverty incidence (to 21 percent of the population in first half 2018 from 27.6 percent in first half 2015, a wow, wow, wow, wow! because that means five million Filipinos uplifted).
“We expect to perform even better in the coming period by rapidly modernizing not only our infrastructure base but also the policy architecture that will make possible sustained and inclusive growth,” proclaimed Dominguez.
Meanwhile, Villar said that the five-minute travel time from Cubao in Quezon City to Makati City is doable.
In an off-the-cuff remark last June 8, 2019, Duterte promised a five-minute travel time from Makati to Cubao, on EDSA by December this year.
“You just wait. Ayaw kong mag-ano. Things will improve. Maybe God willing December smooth sailing na,” Duterte said in a television interview over Sonshine Media Network. “You don’t have to worry about traffic. Cubao and Makati is just about five minutes na lang.”
“It (five minutes) is actually possible,” Villar said, clearly not sounding like Pollyanna.
Once major road projects around Metro Manila are completed, a 15-minute travel time between Makati and Balintawak is possible, making it quite possible for the five-minute travel time from Cubao to Makati, explained Villar.
Duterte and Mark Villar might be referring to the 14.82-km elevated Magallanes (Makati)-Balintawak connector road of San Miguel Corp. which is due for completion next year (December is one month before next year).
Running at 60 kph on an elevated expressway like the SMC connector road, a car can reach Balintawak from Makati in just 15 minutes. Balintawak to Cubao is 9.8 kms. Subtract 9.8 kms from 14.82 kms, you get five kms. At 60 kph, five kms is just five minutes. Duterte surely knows his math.
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