CEBU CITY–Lawyer and former congressman Pablo John "PJ" Garcia is pushing for what he described as the most honest form of dole-out.

The former Cebu 3rd District representative is advocating a tax rollback in the province, saying lowering taxes is more far-reaching than traditional dole-outs distributed through political lines.

Garcia said rollback in real property taxes, transfer taxes and sand and gravel fees is his banner program, and he is calling on Cebuanos to look at the numbers.

Garcia said the country is too fixated on the current impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte instead of addressing the main issues affecting families.

"Inflation is still high, prices are still high, and every family in Cebu feels it. And yet here we are, so caught up in the impeachment of the Vice President, when the statistics are staring us right in the face," Garcia said.

Garcia noted the latest figures. Inflation in Cebu went down to 12.4 percent from 13.6 percent in May, while in Cebu City, where so many of our constituents from Cebu province live, study, and work, it remains high at 13.7 percent, down only slightly from 16.1 percent.

"These are still painful numbers. The price of rice is steep. Fuel keeps getting pricier. These are the things that truly affect ordinary families every single day," he said. "This is serious. This is the reality our people are living in."

Garcia said if the Provincial Government is willing to give cement-manufacturing Apo Cement a P1-billion discount in taxes, it can do the same for every Cebuano.

"If we can give a billion in tax relief to a single corporation, then we should be rolling back tax rates for all Cebuanos," he said. "What we need is a rollback in real property taxes to pre-pandemic levels, to give a break for every homeowner, every family, every taxpayer. Rollback is better than piecemeal assistance. This is for everyone.”

Garcia argued that a tax rollback would put money back into the pockets of ordinary people at a time when they need it most.

"High food prices and expensive fuel already eat up a family's budget. The last thing they need is a heavier tax bill on top of that," he said. "Everybody deserves a break. Not just one sector, not just one company. Everyone."

Garcia pointed to sand and gravel as a prime example of the measure's "domino effect," noting that the material is a crucial component of construction used not only by big developers but by ordinary families building their homes.

"If we take a look at sand and gravel, they are crucial construction materials that every ordinary family can use for their homes. If taxes go down, prices of construction materials will also go down. This will not only benefit households but all businesses,” he said.

Garcia stressed that the rollback should be seen not as a loss in revenue but as putting the money back to the economy, and vowed to push the measure in whatever capacity he can serve.

“I will lobby for this because this is the kind of assistance that is not selective and will benefit everyone,” said Garcia, whose wife Karen is the current representative of Cebu’s third district.