If elected president in next year’s elections, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso declared that the first thing that he will do as chief executive is to lower by 50 percent the taxes imposed on fuel and electricity.
Saying that he is prepared to become the next president, Moreno admitted that he is aware about the downside of his proposal, which would mean a loss of P130 billion from the government’s income from taxes as pointed out by the Department of Finance.
“Nothing will happen if you don’t do it if we do something strange… Can the government back down first and let the people go first,” Moreno told his supporters, majority of them are ordinary people, who gathered at the Kalookan Cockpit Arena on Saturday evening.
“As president, my administration is ready to lose P130 billion because I know that the same amount will benefit more than 100 million Filipinos,” the Aksyon Demokratiko presidential candidate added.
Apart from the immediate savings for the household, Moreno stressed that cutting taxes on electricity would also prevent manufacturers from shutting down, thus letting their employees keep their jobs and their livelihood.
“The bigger picture here is: imagine the things that can be made by manufacturing plants, they can sustain jobs. Instead of firing people, they can sustain the size of their savings,” Moreno said.
“Because of the cost of electricity, almost 50 percent of the tax they save, then they can maintain whatever they have, how many employees they have,” he explained.
Besides the 50 percent tax cut on electricity, Moreno said another 50 percent tax cut on oil products would further bring down the cost of electricity since about 70 percent of power generation is diesel fuel.
“In fact, power generation is lower because one of the biggest sources of fossil fuels needed to produce electricity is utilizing crude or petroleum products. So, naturally, it will trickle down. It’s common sense,” Moreno pointed out.
Moreno also earlier said that bringing power rates down to a competitive level would likewise attract foreign investors, meaning more jobs to Filipinos.
Towards the end of his speech, Moreno thanked Congressman Edgar Erice for inviting him and his vice presidential bet Dr. Willie Ong and three senatorial candidates to the consultation-dialogue which was well attended.
Moreno told the residents from North and South Caloocan that his senatorial ticket is easy to remember: Samira Gutoc, a Moro civic leader; Dr. Carl Balita, an educator and registered nurse; and Jopet Sison, who gives free legal assistance.
During a convention of local officials and volunteers in Caloocan City on Saturday, political leaders from the city’s second and third districts led by Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice and former Caloocan Mayor Enrico Echiverri expressed their support for Moreno’s presidential bid.
Erice is regional chairman of Aksyon Demokratiko for the National Capital Region. He is the party’s official candidate for mayor in Caloocan City. His candidate for vice mayor is PJ Malonzo.
Erice, a former Liberal Party stalwart, said the public should set aside conflicts among the country’s political parties and dynasties and choose a candidate whose performance is beyond these long-standing disputes.
“It is far more difficult to be the Mayor of Manila than to be a Senator or Vice President of our country. It is far from difficult to be mayor. And it is very difficult to be a competent mayor like Mayor Isko,” he said.
Meanwhile, Moreno on Saturday told his supporters in Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya that he will focus on the protection of life and promotion of livelihood if he becomes president in 2022.
“Life and livelihood, that is our promise to all of you,” Moreno told a town hall meeting here organized by local officials led by Santa Fe Mayor Tidong Benito and former mayor Teodorico Padilla Jr.
Moreno said this is the reason why he chose Dr. Willie Ong as his running mate because he believes that Doc Willie as vice president can focus on the health aspect while he, as president, can concentrate on the economy.
“Life and livelihood are important now. So, I took a running mate who is a doctor. Dr. Willie Ong is the people’s doctor. A doctor who cares about the whole country,” said Moreno, president and standard bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko.
Moreno vowed to the people of Nueva Vizcaya that if elected, he would institute short term and long-term solutions aimed at improving the lives of all Filipinos.
These include cutting taxes of oil products and electricity by 50 percent; building more hospitals, school buildings, and mass housing for the poor; and stimulating medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs) to generate more jobs, among others.
Among the more than a thousand people estimated attendees the gathering included local officials from the province’s 15 municipalities, religious leaders from various sects, leaders of other indigenous people groups in the province, various groups from the nearby provinces of Nueva Ecija, Quirino, Isabela and Ifugao, and even rebel returnees.
Representatives of the Isko Northern Alliance (INA) headed by Cicero Lumauig of Baguio and Benguet also attended the gathering.
Padilla, a nephew of Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Carlos Padilla Jr., said the gathering of people from various sectors of society in Nueva Vizcaya and outlying provinces signifies the beginning of mass support for Moreno in Northern Luzon.
The Nueva Vizcaya leader also said that a Moreno presidency would mean that the Nueva Ecija tribes would have a “big brother” in Malacaňang who will protect their rights and look after their welfare.
Upon the arrival of Team Isko at the venue, the Kalanguya people performed a ritual to adopt Moreno as a “son” of the tribe, making him their brother.
The ritual was led by Mayor Benito and the Council of Elders of the Kalanguyas, the majority tribe in the province composing 12 percent of the province’s population.
After the ritual, Padilla explained that the ritual signified the warm welcome and hospitality of the Kalanguya and people of Santa Fe.
It also asked for blessings from the Supreme Being so that Moreno’s political journey would succeed, his leadership to proceed smoothly and would be beneficial to everyone.
The ritual was highlighted by the slaughter of a pig, with its blood placed in the forehead of Moreno using the knife used to kill it.
The squealing of the pig was meant to drive away bad spirits, while the blood in the forehead represents protection from above.
Because he is now the adopted son of the Kalanguya and also of Santa Fe, Padilla said the Kalanguya people are now oath-bound to protect and help Moreno in his quest towards Malacaňang – including campaigning for him.