Press statement of Senator Loren Legarda

ON CON-ASS

Allies of the President are reportedly planning to hold a constituent assembly, even without the participation of the Senate, next month. They will be doing this against the wishes of the great majority of the Filipino people. The event will therefore be held in blatant defiance of the people's will, thus in violation of the spirit of Republicanism.

In such a situation, the people will have no recourse but to convene the parliament of the streets to be able to voice their will. The government cannot suppress this right which is guaranteed by Section 4, Article III, of the Constitution. It says, "No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances."

Efforts by the administration to suppress the right of the people to express their will through the parliament of the streets will be a crime against the people.

ON TAX COLLECTIONS

The drop of revenue collections by 1.4 percent to 11.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product is worrisome. It shows that the tax effort of the administration has fallen below standards of efficiency and honesty. Tax effort is the best measure of revenue collection efficiency because it is based on actual production of goods and services.

This means that corruption and inefficiency have worsened in our revenue-collection agencies like the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs. The Department of Finance, as the government agency directly supervising the two primary revenue-collecting offices, has failed to discipline and improve the morals and morale of the rank-and-file of the revenue collectors.

I urge the administration to improve collection and augment our fiscal resources especially at this time when we need all revenues legally collectible for economic stimulus projects like public works, rural development, job-generating, education and job generation. The bloating of our fiscal deficit also threatens the stability of our country.