First VP Pilipinas Debates 2022 reveals bets’ expertise
By: Hanns Cruz and Judith Soriano
Seven (7) out of nine (9) vice presidential candidates attended the first PiliPinas Vice Presidential (VP) Debates 2022 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila on March 20, 2022.
Present were Walden Bello, Rizalito David, Emmanuel “Manny” Lopez, Dr. Willie Ong, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Atty. Carlos Serapio, and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. The debate revolved around national concerns such as the pandemic response, budget allocation, social services, and corruption.
Suggested cabinet positions
The opening question probed into each candidate’s knowledge about the country’s second highest position. They were asked if they would like to add any constitutional amendments, where four (4) VP bets stated their desire to serve as cabinet members.
Ong would serve as the health secretary, Sotto mentioned having expertise over the Dangerous Drugs Board and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Bello would prefer to serve as the finance secretary while slamming incumbent finance chief Sonny Dominguez for favoring foreign businesses.
Pangilinan, on the other hand, believes that there is no need for amendment, as VP Robredo exemplified how she optimized her position despite her limited mandate.
“Samu’t sari ang naging intervention ni Vice President Robredo para tumulong at hanapan ng solusyon sa loob ng dalawang taon ang problema sa COVID-19,” he said.
Change form of government to parliamentary
David, however, prefered to “think outside the box” by making the most out of the constitutional amendments to change the form of government from a presidential system to a parliament. Through this, according to David, elections would be more “affordable” and there would be speedy procedures in the executive office.
VP should be presiding officer of congress, Sotto recalls accomplishment as vice mayor
Should Sotto be elected, he would be the presiding officer of the Senate, citing his previous work as vice mayor of Quezon City when he was able to achieve this. Under the Local Government Code, the vice mayor presides over the council that makes local laws.
Php 200 fuel subsidy not enough — suspend fuel tax, raise minimum wage, and release subsidy to farmers
Pangilinan said that the fuel subsidy would mean giving Php 1.60 per person to be allotted each day in a family of 5 or 6. He recommends that excise tax on petroleum should be suspended, as 70% of farmers’ expenses go to gas, and called for the allotted Php 500 million fuel subsidy to be released to farmers and fisherfolk.
Bello agrees fuel tax should be suspended and minimum wage should be raised at least to Php 750 nationally. Price control, as a “legitimate form of keeping down prices” should be implemented amidst the fuel crisis.
Sotto echoed that minimum wage should be raised to P1000 at least within NCR, as other provinces’ may be determined by wage boards. Government can give employers tax breaks to make this more feasible. “’Di baleng gobyerno ang maghirap, ‘wag ang taong bayan. Sanay mangutang ang gobyerno,” Sotto said.
David said Value Added Tax (VAT) should be reduced, saying that taxes on petroleum are topped over by taxes. “‘Yung isang tax na pinatong doon sa presyo ng gasolina, tina-tax mo ulit kapag kinakarga mo na sa sasakyan. Anong klase naman yan? Dalawang tax sa isang produkto?,” he explained.
Lopez: local oil prices are only speculative; we are not dependent on Russian oil
As for Lopez, he said that suspension of fuel excise taxes might “create a financial crisis.” He further explained that local pump prices are only speculative and have no basis. “Russian oil represents less than 10% of the global supply,” Lopez said.
Lopez, Ong, Sotto, and Bello all recommended the development of renewable energy, while Serapio pushed for “energy relief.” He explained giving the Bayanihan Heal as One subsidy to Filipino households to use for their own production of electricity. He pointed out that once implemented, there will be more production instead of consumption of energy.
Bello slams Sotto on allowing foreign corporate tax reduction
Bello emphasized that the government has been dealing with the wrong priorities. He recommended freezing non-securitized foreign debt as more than 20% of the national budget goes to payment, amounting to almost Php 1 trillion. The country has multiple sources of revenue to circulate this back to the economy; however, the government instead lowered the tax on corporations. He mentioned Sotto for pushing the lowering of taxes from 30% to 25% on foreign companies in congress.
“Si Senator Sotto was one of the people who pushed this in congress at the behest of the executive and Secretary Dominguez. And I think we need to revamp that regime. Senator Sotto, don’t oppose this because this is the people’s initiative,” Bello said.
Suggested expertise of each candidate and their chosen positions
Sotto wished to be placed either in DILG or the Dangerous Drugs Board. He also listed the laws he had enacted such as the Republic Act 9165, now known as the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
“‘Di lang pwede yung supply and reduction strategy, kailangan palakasin mo yung prevention and rehabilitation,” he claimed. He pointed out that the government should also hold a national sports program for the children, stating that every area in the Philippines should cooperate. If granted by the president, he would also want to work in Foreign Affairs to help in the Department of Migrant Workers.
Bello refuted, stating that the Marcos-Duterte tandem must be penalized for not attending the debate event. “The Commission on Elections should do something about this. Commissioner, Chair, maaari ba, can you penalize these two people, Marcos and Sara Duterte, for not showing themselves to the Filipino people with their programs so that masuri ng Filipino people yung kanilang record at yung program nila?”
David cited his degree in environmental science, along with the laws he passed such as the Mining Law of 1995 (RA 7942) and Clean Water Act (RA 9275).
Lopez wanted to be placed in any of the three (3) areas: economic recovery for helping businesses recover, disaster and pandemic management for prevention, and geopolitics to strengthen the country’s military and defense.
Ong adds that one of the greatest threats during the pandemic was food security, stressing that poor food safety is responsible for a low life expectancy rate in the country.
“Hindi ko gaano gusto criminal justice approach, pwede nating gawin yung public health approach lalo na sa drug users,” he added, stressing the need for additional psychologists and psychiatrists especially for mental health reasons.
Pangilinan aims to enhance the agricultural sector of the country. He emphasized the full implementation of the Coco Levy Fund and the Sagip Saka Act.
Upon citing his experiences in public service, Serapio wishes to be designated as the Foreign Affairs Secretary.
Bello questions Pangilinan’s past enacted laws
“How can you say you advocate for farmers, when you abstained on the Rice Tariffication Act, a law that would largely affect them?,” Bello questioned Pangilinan.
Pangilinan rebutted, saying that he had reservations and moved to amend the law to allow cash assistance as well as increase the funds to be lent to those in need.
Pangilinan also cited the full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act, which mandates national and local governments to buy directly from rice farmers, palay, and rice products.
Geopolitical issue of Russia and Ukraine and its effects to the Philippines
“Geopolitical dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region could lead to war due to Russia and Ukraine,” Lopez emphasized that the Philippines must push for Independent Foreign Policy.
Lopez and Ong agreed that there is a chance for nuclear war to take place. “Kailangan natin bumili ng potassium iodide. Kailangan prepared tayo just in case umabot tayo sa ganyang giyera,” Lopez said.
Unification of Anti-corruption Agencies
Bello averted the question, stating that Bongbong Marcos should return the 203 billion peso debt that he owes to the people.
David agrees to the setup of only having one anti-corruption agency, reiterating that the heart of the Filipino is of utmost concern. “Bakit pilit nating ayaw tanggapin na ‘yung moralidad ng lipunan ang ating pangunahing suliranin sa bayang ito,” he added.
Lopez was against the unification of anti-corruption agencies. He suggested that proper education and social awareness must be instilled, and that grafters and corrupters must be penalized, further stating that plunder should be qualified for death penalty.
Ong cited that corruption is prevalent in the government at 20%, equivalent to 700 billion pesos. He believed that the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) should be made public.
Pangilinan emphasized that only the judiciary department should handle the anti-corruption cases, thus an increased amount of manpower needed. “Kulang ang budget ng hudikatura, wala pang two percent ng kabuuang budget ng ating gobyerno, kulang ang mga piskal, kulang ang mga korte, kulang ang mga judge,” he said.
Sotto also disagrees, stating that the government needs internal cleansing and must lead by example for the Filipino people to follow. He also states the need for digitalization and the exercising of the Anti-Red Tape Act for ease of business.
Lopez slams former senators on pork barrel scheme
During the last open debate portion, Lopez brought up those involved in pork barrel cases, stating that they are likely involved in corruption.
“Usually, but not all the time, and in our case three terms a senate, we have never been involved in any case involving corruption,” Pangilinan said.
Sotto cited the program BRAVE (Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment), which caters to the needs of the local government to create a more realistic budget.
Another topic is opened by Serapio towards the senators that took part in the vice presidential election, asking “Is there a monopoly or political dynasty in the government?”
“Definitely, the national government has monopoly, kaya nga ang gusto namin is budget reform. Hindi nanggaling sa itaas kung ano ang sasabihin, ‘yun ang ibibigay,” Sotto further restated the need for revising the budget system.
Closing Statements of each Vice Presidential Candidate
Bello answered that he and running mate Ka Leody are different from the other candidates on the platform, who offer a vision of equality, a Philippines free from poverty, and democratic socialism.
David believed that none of the candidates on the platform would win against Sara Duterte, proposing a coalition to oppose Marcos and Duterte’s party.
Lopez committed to support the most qualified candidate who will become the next president, and to support what is right and just for the Philippines.
Ong vowed to help make the lives of Filipinos longer, due to the 800,000 numerous cases during the pandemic crisis.
Pangilinan aims to decrease food prices, and assist farmers in their livelihood.
Serapio added that he will do his best, and trust God with what the future holds.
“Katapatan, Kakayahan, Katapangan, is what I bring to all of you. We know what the Filipino people go through and we know of sufficient solutions to make life better,” Sotto concluded the debate, emphasizing his years of experience in the senate.
References:
Rappler. (2022, March 20). Comelec Vice Presidential Debate [Image]. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/tachyon/2022/03/comelec-vice-presidential-debate-march-20-2022-001.jpg
GMA News. (2022, March 20) The Comelec PiliPinas Vice Presidential Debates 2022: The Turning Point | LIVESTREAM [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9r2QdWBoaI.
