ROXAS: ENERGY SUMMIT SHOULD NOT END UP IN "TOKEN-ISM"
SUSPENSION OF VAT ON OIL WOULD RESULT TO IMMEDIATE SAVINGS

Senator Mar Roxas welcomed the administration's plan to hold an oil summit in light of skyrocketing crude oil prices in the world market, but warned that it must not result only in token measures that have minimal impact.

"Natutuwa tayo na tatalakayin ng ehekutibo ang mga hakbang para mabawasan ang impact ng sobrang-taas presyo ng petrolyo. Magandang hakbang itong oil summit, pero dapat hindi mauwi ito sa 'token-ism' o pakitang tao lamang," he said.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade hopes that the executive, through consultations with a wide range of sectors, will be able to come up with long-term measures to aid the oil price crisis. But he said that the reduction of import duties on oil by 1% would only be a "token" measure.

Instead, Roxas pushed for the suspension of the value-added tax imposed on oil and petroleum products, which would immediately result in savings of P4 per liter of diesel or P60 per 11-kilogram tank of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

"Kung talagang ginugusto natin na makatulong tayo sa ating mga kababayan, ito'y isang malinaw at kongkretong hakbang na maisasagawa na sa ganoon, talagang maibsan ang kahirapan dito sa atin," he said.

"Hindi pangkaraniwan ang panahon ngayon. Sobrang mahal na ang singil sa mga produktong petrolyo. Mabuti pa na imbes na ang gobyerno ang mangolekta at gumastos nitong EVAT, mas mabuti na si Juan de la Cruz, na siyang kumita ng perang ito ang gumastos," he said.

He argued that the government will not lose much from the suspension of VAT on oil and petroleum products, because the government will be able to collect taxes anyway when savings from VAT on oil are spent on other needs.

"Pera ni Juan dela Cruz ito, hindi nila pera ito. Hanggang sa maipakita ng gobyerno na mas maganda ang kanyang paggastos kaysa kay Juan dela Cruz, mas mabuti pa rin na siya ang gumastos ng kanyang pera," he stressed.

The Liberal Party President said that his party is buckling down to work and seeig to it that the proposed measure is passed as law in due time. "Makikipag-alyado kami sa lahat ng grupo, alyansa, NGO, sa pagsulong ng pagtanggal ng VAT sa produktong petrolyo," he said.

"Tayong mga mamamayan, kung ipaaabot natin ang ating kagustuhan na suspendihin muna ang pagkolekta ng VAT sa produktong petrolyo, ay makikinig ang gobyerno, at maisasabatas ito," he added.