Duterte files COC, cuts Poe lead

Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for president yesterday at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Intramuros. He submitted a certificate of nomination by Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in substitution of Martin Dino, who withdrew from the presidential race on Oct. 29.

A Pulse Asia survey of Metro Manila on Nov. 11-12, shows the following result:

Duterte 34%

Poe 26%

Binay 22%

Roxas 11%

Miriam 7%

The survey was commissioned by an unnamed sponsor and had only 300 respondents.

But the result showing Duterte getting votes away from Poe was not surprising. It affirmed the weakness of the numbers of Poe, the only new face, heretofore, among the candidates. In Duterte’s consistent denial of intention to run for higher office, it makes him more known to people.

One significant finding: Vice President Binay topped the candidates in the Class E masa vote, with 32 percent.

 Roxas’ low 11 percent rating once again confirms public dissatisfaction with his performance as Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local government (DILG) and the serious crime situation in Metro Manila. Roxas’ lack of “masa” support was indicated by his getting only 5 percent of Class E voters.

Duterte announced he is committed to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as his vice president, ruling out Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

As for Marcos, he still wanted to be Duterte’s running mate despite Duterte’s well-reported choice of Cayetano.

But for PDP-Laban, they do not consider Duterte’s choice of Cayetano official. Cayetano and Marcos are members of the Nacionalista Party (NP).

Duterte said his main goal is to stop crime and corruption. He even advised the public to build more funeral parlors to accommodate dead drug pushers.

Tax cut dead

The reduction of income tax proposal for wage earners is dead. President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, in an interview in Malaysia, thumbed it down.

Pasig City’s Roman Romulo blasted the Palace for pressuring Congress to drop the proposed cut in income taxes, saying it is wrong for the executive branch to pre-empt and co-opt the exclusive lawmaking role of Congress. He even cited the joint statement of eight business and labor groups to correct the inherent inequity in the personal income tax system.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said it is useless to push it through without the President’s support.

House ways and means committee chairman Miro Quimbo is sitting on the proposal.

LP official presidential candidate Mar Roxas also expressed disapproval of any discussion of the bill during the election season.

Vice President Jejomar Binay has a popular issue in his platform. He is all out for income tax reform, giving it top priority in the first 100 days of his term. He sees the urgency in passing the lower income tax bills, noting that workers will have greater purchasing power, and, this in turn, is good for businesses.

Aquino is suppressing the will of “his bosses.” He keeps on barking that the Filipino are his bosses yet he is not listening to them. President Aquino, your “bosses,”clearly wants tax reduction.

Heavy taxes put burden on people, while falling short in providing basic services because taxes collected are not being spent appropriately and just languish in banks, not used for the public.

The government must put hard-earned money back into the hands of people, the “bosses,” to create economic growth and opportunity.

GDP below expectation

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary-General Arsenio Balisacan reported that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth grew by six percent in the third quarter of 2015, the third highest in Asia, behind China and Vietnam but below expectation.

The six percent growth in the third quarter was fueled by the services sector, which grew by 7.3 percent, but manufacturing suffered a reduction.

Balisacan expressed the need to continue to push for infrastructure development.

Another judge killed

In Northern Samar, Laoang Municipal Circuit Trial Court presiding Judge Reynaldo Espinar, 53, was shot dead inside Padcor Cockpit Arena in Pambujan town.

Filipino-Indian businessman, Sandeep Sam Kumar, 28, a former president of the Rotary Club of Central Pangasinan, was shot dead in Barangay Bolosan, Dagupan City.

Eleven were wounded in an explosion in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.

Barangay treasurer Alex Acopio, 27, and his two companions were shot dead in Lambunao, Iloilo.

Tidbits

Former Senator Tessie Aquino-Oreta is running for Congress in Malabon. She will be opposed by former Congressman Ricky Sandoval.

Twenty-nine journalists have been killed under the Aquino administration.

The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has dismissed a P2.905-billion tax assessment case against former President Joseph “Erap” E. Estrada, due to lack of vital documentary evidence.

Mayor Erap accompanied by Councilors Edward Maceda, Doc Louie Chua, Cris Bacani and Wardie Quintos, distributed food packs to 500 residents of Balic-Balic, Sampaloc.

Government troops successfully attacked a rebel camp, afflicted with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), at Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat. Eight rebels were killed. Palimbang is known to be the entry point of guns imported by rebels. Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is now claiming they have 28,000 firearms.

Condolence to the family of former governor and Congressman Niel D. Tupas Sr., who passed away this week at the age of 82.