President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. prefers to provide cash payments to election workers rather than exempt their honoraria and other financial benefits from taxes.
Marcos, during a visit to Pasig City on Monday, said he does not forget the welfare of the poll workers despite his decision to veto a proposed law exempting from taxes the honoraria, allowances and other financial remunerations for poll workers.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it respects the decision of the President to veto the bill seeking to exempt poll workers’ honoraria from taxation.
Meanwhile, the Comelec) awaits official communication from the House of Representatives before preparing for the special polls in the seventh district of Cavite to fill the seat vacated by Jesus Crispin Remulla who was appointed as Justice Secretary.
In another development, fire ate up a portion of the office of the Comelec headquarters at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila on Sunday night.
“Hindi ibig sabihin nito na kinalimutan natin ‘yung ating mga election workers. Mayroon—babalikan natin sila pagka nagka-eleksyon, eh ‘di titingnan natin sino ba talaga ang nagtrabaho? Ilang oras sila, ilang araw sila nagtrabaho dito? Ano ‘yung kanilang position? Sila ba’y naging—sila ‘yung nag-aano doon sa mga makina? Whatever it is,” Marcos said. (It doesn’t mean that we forget our election workers. We will check their welfare in the next election. We will determine who really worked, how many hours they had worked, or how many days they had rendered,) Marcos said.
“And then, doon tayo magdadagdag ng ayuda and we do not have to put a new section, a new category sa pagbayad ng tax dahil ang sa pagbigay ng ayuda, ‘yung buong makinarya na pagbigay ng ayuda ay nandiyan na. Sasabihin na lang natin okay isama natin doon sa mga magiging beneficiary ang mga election workers, (Then from there, we will add assistance and we do not have to put a new section or category in paying taxes. We will just include them as beneficiaries,)” he added.
Marcos vetoed the proposed tax exemption saying that it “runs counter to the objective of the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program to correct the inequity in the country’s tax system and negate the progressivity of the reforms introduced under RA 10963 or the TRAIN law.”
The President also said the national identification system will be a big help in the distribution of assistance to poll workers.
Meanwhile, the President also said some people do not deserve to get tax subsidy.
“As a matter of principle, ang sinasabi ko hindi kasi pagka gumawa ka ng tax subsidy, hindi mo alam kung sino ang makakakuha dahil kahit ‘yung hindi nangangailangan nakakakuha ng subsidy. Hindi naman dapat sila bigyan,” he said. (If you implement a tax subsidy, you cannot determine who will benefit from it. Even those who do not need it will be able to get it,” he said.
“We respect the Office of the President and it is his prerogative to veto these measures,” acting Comelec spokesman Rex Laudiangco said in a press briefing.
Various groups backed the bill because they believe that the 20 percent withholding tax imposed on the honoraria and benefits of poll workers was too much to bear. Poll workers got an increase of as much
as P3,000 in the recently concluded elections, raising their pay to P7,000 or P9,000.
Marcos said that, while the bill’s intention was laudable, it would be “inequitable to other persons performing similar activities or services.”
Laudiangco said that the President’s assessment of the bill would be good for the country, and he considered the equal protection clause.
However, Laudiangco said the bill could be refined so that the poll workers’ call to exempt their honoraria from duties would be granted.
The poll body spokesman also said the decision will not end there, and needed amendments because there was a loud call to exempt these honoraria for the teachers from taxes.
Laudiangco, who is also a director at the Comelec Law department, explained that the Election Service Reform Act (ESRA), which grants the honoraria for poll workers, had no provision for tax exemptions.
Laudiangco explained that under Republic Act 6645, the first step to conduct special elections is for Congress to transmit the certification of permanent vacancy along with a House resolution calling for the conduct of the special polls.
“We have yet to receive it but we expect that the House will send it in the coming days,” Laudiangco said.
In conducting a special election, Laudiangco said the Comelec will be implementing timelines for certain activities, similar to what they do in regular elections, such as the filing of certificate of candidacies and a short campaign period, among others.
However, the Comelec en banc has yet to decide whether to hold a manual or automated elections considering its cost.
“As to whether we are conducting a manual or automated elections, that has yet to be determined or decided upon by the Commission en banc dahil ang titingnan po natin dito viable ba or feasible ba ‘yung paggawa ng automated elections given na sa isang distrito lamang ito ng Cavite (because we will be looking at the viability or feasibility of an automated elections given that it will be conducted in only one district of Cavite),” he said.
“Kasi baka naman po masyadong malaki ang ating gagastahin kung mago-automated elections tayo samantalang isang distrito lamang ng Cavite ang ating ika-conduct ng special elections at isang posisyon lamang,” he added.
Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling on the Comelec to conduct a special election in the seventh district of Cavite.
Fire hits Comelec IT office in Intramuros, Manila; but poll body says files, data secure.
Laudiangco said the fire started at the reception area of the Information Technology department at the 7th floor of the Comelec main office in Intramuros.
The blaze was declared under control at about 8 p.m. with no major damage inflicted.
The Comelec said the fire was limited to the reception area of the IT department.
Other offices and departments in the 7th floor of the building were declared safe.
All personnel were also safely evacuated and there were no reported injuries due to the incident.
The Comelec also said all servers, vaults, equipment and documents are intact and undamaged.
The same goes for all data such as the election results and data, which can still be accessed through the Comelec website.
All Voter’s Registration Data, as well as all back-up are also safe and intact.
The Comelec said all of its offices and departments in the main office at the Palacio del Gobernador will be working from home on Monday, August 1, with only a skeleton-work-force on site to conduct inventory, assessment and continue with their operations.