Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste reiterated his aggressive push for Congress to move ahead with legislation that called for the reduction of value-added tax (VAT) from 12 percent to 10 percent.
The outspoken Leviste did so during the latest hearing of the House Legislative Energy Action Development (LEAD) Council on Wednesday, April 15.
“Mr. Chair, let us not be held hostage by the position paper signed by Secretary Recto. The leadership of the House should side with the majority of Congress that supports lowering the VAT, so that our people can expect that when Congress resumes on May 4, we will finally put the reduction of the VAT to a vote,” Leviste said.
The neophyte solon was referring to Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, whom he claimed opposed the VAT rate slash during his time as Department of Finance (DOF) secretary.
“As Congressman [Sergio] Dagooc [of APEC Party-list] mentioned, that Secretary Recto is the one blocking the reduction of the VAT, I would like to emphasize that we are all elected officials here in Congress," Leviste said during the hearing held in plenary.
"We are in a democracy with separation of powers—and Congress does not need to follow the voice of a single Cabinet member,” the Batangas lawmaker underscored in front of his colleagues.
Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Miro Quimbo, presiding officer of the LEAD Council, gave a favorable response.
“Hindi rin tayo papayag na tayo ay magiging palamuti…Tayo ay magdedesisyon base sa kung ano ang tingin natin kinakailangan ng mga mamamayan despite whatever the Executive or Judiciary might say," he said.
(We will not allow ourselves to be mere ornaments… We will decide based on what we believe the people need, despite whatever the Executive or Judiciary might say)
"We will make the decisions based on the mandate that is given to us individually by our respective districts and by sectors that we represent," Quimbo added.
The enegy crisis council is holding the hearings amid Congress' summer break. The solons from both chambers won't reconvene until May 4.
Regarding measures calling for the reduction of VAT, the Marikina solon said: "Tulad po ng sabi natin, sisiguraduhin natin na babalangkasin natin at pagdedesisyunan iyan. Maraming salamat Congressman Leandro sa inyong mungkahi, at sa ating mga kasama nandito.”
(As we have said, we will make sure to draft and decide on this. Thank you very much, Congressman Leandro, for your proposal, and to our colleagues who are here.)
Legarda earlier filed in the 20th Congress House Bill (HB) No. 4302, which sought to lower the VAT on all goods from 12 percent to 10 percent; and more recently, HB No. 8838 to suspend the VAT on petroleum products.
As a senator, Recto authored Republic Act (RA) No. 9337, which increased VAT from 10 percent to 12 percent.