PRESS STATEMENT OF SENATOR CHIZ ESCUDERO

On Brillante Mendoza's Victory in the Cannes Film Festival

It is with much pride that I extend my congratulations to Brillante Mendoza, who was judged best director at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for the film Kinatay--the first Filipino to win that honor.

With resources that paled in comparison to those readily available to his competition, Brillante Mendoza managed to produce a film that was at par with the best the world had to offer, a work of art that showed that there is no substitute for real talent.

His victory over the most respected directors in the world is more than a cause for celebration for our country; it is proof that Filipinos can excel in any field despite the meager resources they have and the difficulties they face.

On the Recently Lifted Book Tax

The government did well to lift the duties on the importation of books, a tax that would have made books inaccessible to most of our countrymen, particularly the youth.

It is regrettable, however, that the Department of Finance acted not on the merits of the issue, but only upon instructions from Malacañang. Just last week, despite the howls of protest from various quarters--the National Book Development Board, the Book Publishers Association of the Philippines, legal luminaries, academics, and countless book lovers--the DOF went so far as to boldly dare taxpayers to sue them over the tax. Despite numerous position papers on the issue, the DOF stubbornly refused to listen and review the duties on imported books--a position they quickly abandoned when they were ordered by higher ups to lift the tax.

In future policy decisions, the DOF should be reminded that it exists to serve the interests of Filipino taxpayers. Rather than finding ways to impose duties on items that should remain affordable, it should instead focus on improving revenue collection and addressing corruption in its top revenue-generating agencies--the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue--so that the billions lost to graft can instead go to funding projects and services beneficial to the people.