CALLING it as "Black Friday Protest," progressive groups in Cagayan de Oro City launched Friday, June 1, a signature campaign against the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law.
The Stop Train Network, an alliance of different organizations against Train law, plan to visit public markets, factories, urban poor, terminals, schools, farmers, government offices, churches and other sectors, to urge all affected stakeholders to support the petition.
The group said prices of goods, petroleum products, water and electricity, and other basic commodities have evidently gone up after the tax reform law took effect.
The group also dared the district representatives and senators from Northern Mindanao to also visit and hold consultations in their respective bailiwicks.
"Gihagit namo ang tanang representatives sa tanang distrito o mga senador nga gikan sa atong rehiyon (10) nga unta tinuoray nga bisitahon ug konsultahon nila ang ilang constituency ilabi na karun sa epekto sa Train law kay ilabi na kay mag-recess naman sila sugod Hunyo 1," the group said.
"Nabati ug nasaksihan na nato unsa ka kontra kabus ug kontra katawhan kining Train law sa gobyernong Duterte diin package 1 pa gani kini niabot na sa 4.5% ang inflation rate sa nasud, ug kung molahutay pa kini, unsa kahay atong dangatan," said Francisco Pagayaman, regional chair of Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) in Northern Mindanao.
As an option, Kadamay backs House Bill 7653 that is being pushed in Congress by Bayan Muna and the Makabayan bloc.
The measure proposes the re-imposition of zero tax on liquefied petroleum gas, diesel, kerosene and bunker oil; removal of excise tax on sugar sweetened beverages; and removal of the provisions on the distribution of incremental income from Train (70 percent to Build, Build, Build, and 30 percent to social measures).
It also proposes to remove personal exemption worth P50,000 and P25,000 per dependent; re-impose Value Added Tax exemption in the power sector from generation companies, transmission by any entity and distribution companies including electric cooperatives; re-impose the VAT exemption in low cost housing even after 2021; and re-impose the 3-percent tax exemption in cooperatives, self-employed and professionals with gross receipts of P2 million and below.
On the other hand, the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno-Northern Mindanao Region (KMU-NMR) is urging Congress to prioritize House Bill 7787 that calls for a P750 per day national minimum wage for workers alongside the demand to break the regional wage standard which for them aggravates the plight of the workers.
The group also calls on the government to make a serious move in penalizing companies that violate the labor-only contracting especially the big foreign corporations that operate in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.
They said the labor department reported that about 700 companies across the country are "endo" (end of contract) violators while around 2,610 initiated illegal work arrangements.
"Karon nato sukdon ang kaisog sa gobyernong Duterte nga mobarug sa interest sa mga mamumuo. Kung isog kunuhay siya sa kampanya kontra droga, kontra terorismo, kontra kuropsyon, tan-awon nato ang iyang kaisog batok sa mga ENDO violators," KMU-NMR spokesperson Wildon Barros said.
