Can HPG do the job?

President Aquino has decided to assign the PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to manage the traffic situation on Edsa, effectively relieving Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino and his hundreds of traffic enforcers from handling the problem.

Public opinion is divided on the effectivity of the HPG assignment. To begin with, PNP announced the assignment of only 80 HPG personnel to handle the 23-kilometer EDSA duties, including the easing of traffic in 6 major “choke points” along major thoroughfare EDSA: Balintawak, Cubao, Ortigas, Shaw Boulevard, Guadalupe, and Taft Avenue.

PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez should augment the HPG ranks by an additional 120 sound personnel to bring the total HPG assigned to EDSA to 200, adding to the 240 policemen assigned by the NCRPO.

Economist Peter Wallace, president of Wallace Business Group, wants a Cabinet-level traffic czar, who would take full authority and need not consider the opposing ideas of different mayors on traffic management, assigned to EDSA. But it should be noted that MMDA Chairman Tolentino had a Cabinet rank.

With the HPG assigned to the job, they are under the control of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

There are fears that HPG personnel may engage in extortion. But Malacañang warned that it has zero tolerance for “kotong” cops or those who extort money from motorists, asking the public to report any incident of extortion or other forms of abuse by traffic enforcers.

The remaining days leading to the Monday deployment of the HPG would be spent on dialogues with local government units (LGUs), other stakeholders, and as well as the training of assigned policemen to traffic duties.

We hope that the mere presence of police mobile patrol cars and motorcycle cops on EDSA will make the motorists and commuters behave. This will also have a deterrent effect on potential crime offenders.

Runaway crime

RTC Judge Jude Erwin Alaba of Baler was shot dead and his wife was wounded. Initial police investigation showed that Judge Alaba handled sensitive drug cases and some land disputes. He was the first judge in Central Luzon who was murdered in the last five years.

Jose Abaya, a retired Philippine Constabulary (PC) general’s son and a nephew of a former Armed Forces chief, shot and killed UV Express passenger Jocelyn Santos and driver Ronebert Ycot in Quezon City. During the shooting, another passenger, Duke Angelo David, was wounded. Aside from two counts of murder, Abaya will be facing frustrated murder and two counts of attempted murder and a illegal gun charge.

Three journalists were shot dead during the month of August. They were Cosme Maestrado of Ozamiz City on Aug. 27; Teodoro Escanilla was shot dead in Sorsogon on Aug. 20; and newspaper publisher Gregorio Ybañez was shot dead in front of his house in  Tagum, Davao del Norte on Aug. 18.

In August too, 11 cases of extrajudicial killings were recorded.

Engineer Imelda Natividad was found dead inside her car in Los Baños, after being abducted in Lipa City. An investigation showed that Natividad was abducted to be killed and not to be held for ransom.

Several other victims of shootings were recorded in Quezon City and other Metro Manila cities.

All of the above occurred despite Interior Secretary Roxas’ claim of lower crime rate due to PNP’s Oplan Lambat-Sibat.

Certainly, the runaway crime situation nationwide is one of the failures of the Aquino administration, with Interior Secretary Roxas principally responsible.

Enrile correct

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile blocked the confirmation of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista.

Enrile required Bautista to submit the report of the investigation of the 2013 elections where it was claimed that a 60-30-10 result was claimed to have been manufactured by the Comelec.

Enrile has good reason to ask for the results of the investigation, as many believe Enrile’s son, Jack, was cheated of a well-deserved victory.

Even Senator J.V. Ejercito questioned his No. 11 placing.

It should be noted that in 2013, the Comelec only counted 77 percent of the votes.

No to lower taxes

Amid persistent calls to lower income tax rates in our country, Malacañang rejected a bill, authored by Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, which seeks to lower the taxes paid by fixed-income earners.

If the measure is passed, the government said they would not be able to meet its poverty-reduction goals, or increasing investments in people and infrastructure because it would cost at least P29 billion in lost revenues. Budget Secretary Butch Abad reported P300 billions in savings.

Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian slammed the government for its anti-poor proposals to increase the current Value Added Tax (VAT) of 12 percent to 14 percent and reduce exemptions in exchange for lawmaker’s plan to reduce income taxes, saying the reduction in the income tax rates will not be felt by the poor because their incomes are already exempted from taxation. However, he added, the poor will be adversely affected by any increase in the VAT rate.

For BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, if the lawmakers want to lower income taxes, then they have to compensate it with something.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares filed House Bill 5401 that will seek to “exempt income of families earning below P396,000 per year to preserve the monthly living wage of P33,000 from income taxation.

If the government were to raise the tax rate, or lower tax deduction, who would gain and who would lose? Who would be the winners and losers from a tax change?