Orignally posted on http://jedeva.multiply.com on July 11, 2005
I read somewhere that former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima suspected that Malacañang had a hand in the Supreme Court's decision to issue a temporary restraining order on the implementation on the Expanded Value-Added Tax (E-VAT). Senator Franklin Drilon also said something to this effect the other day, adding that his decision to call for GMA's resignation (a week or so after he expressed his support for GMA in a rally in Iloilo) was prompted by GMA's alleged involvement in the issuance of the TRO.
It's funny what people will say to justify their actions, especially when they want to hide the ugly truth.
Let's tackle the problems with their conspiracy theory.
First of all, why would GMA want a TRO on the E-VAT after doing cartwheels to get the damn thing passed?
The conspiracy theorists claim that GMA wanted to delay the implementation of the E-VAT as its implementation might piss off a public already disenchanted with her administration, what with the jueteng and Gloriagate scandals that have rocked her administration.
That doesn't make sense. The passage of the E-VAT was one of the few things GMA could rely on to keep her in the good graces of Big Business, foreign investors, and the international community. With the passage of the E-VAT, the president had a ready answer for those that criticized her administration: yes, we have problems, but that's all because of politics-- insofar as the economy is concerned, my administration has addressed its immediate concerns; we have made progress in cutting our fiscal deficit, and with the passage of the E-VAT and improved tax collection, we now have additional sources of revenue.
The E-VAT was, from the administration's standpoint, one of its few bright spots. Why they would do anything to delay its implementation is beyond me.
Ah, but the conspiracy theorists argue that the president wanted to avoid anything that would make her more unpopular, something that would have happened with the price increases (e.g., gasoline) that would have followed the implementation of the E-VAT. Ergo, she must have had a hand in the TRO.
That's crazy.
The president's already taken a lot of flak for aggressively lobbying for the passage of the E-VAT. Anybody who hates her for supporting the E-VAT won't hate her any less if it's delayed.
In short, the president wouldn't have gained much from delaying the implementation of the E-VAT. The issuance of the TRO was as damaging as any scandal-- another example of the administration's failure to get its act together. It's highly unlikely the administration would have viewed it any other way.
Politicians are expected to say anything to protect their reputations. But they should draw the line at dragging down the reputations of other people to protect their own. Drilon has no business questioning the integrity of the members of the Supreme Court, especially since the basis for his statements and actions was a mere rumor. I mean, who in his right mind would question the character of thirteen men and women with excellent track records in government on the basis of chismis (gossip)?
Well, they do say that ambition can blind a man. Looks like it can dull one's brain as well.
I read somewhere that former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima suspected that Malacañang had a hand in the Supreme Court's decision to issue a temporary restraining order on the implementation on the Expanded Value-Added Tax (E-VAT). Senator Franklin Drilon also said something to this effect the other day, adding that his decision to call for GMA's resignation (a week or so after he expressed his support for GMA in a rally in Iloilo) was prompted by GMA's alleged involvement in the issuance of the TRO.
It's funny what people will say to justify their actions, especially when they want to hide the ugly truth.
Let's tackle the problems with their conspiracy theory.
First of all, why would GMA want a TRO on the E-VAT after doing cartwheels to get the damn thing passed?
The conspiracy theorists claim that GMA wanted to delay the implementation of the E-VAT as its implementation might piss off a public already disenchanted with her administration, what with the jueteng and Gloriagate scandals that have rocked her administration.
That doesn't make sense. The passage of the E-VAT was one of the few things GMA could rely on to keep her in the good graces of Big Business, foreign investors, and the international community. With the passage of the E-VAT, the president had a ready answer for those that criticized her administration: yes, we have problems, but that's all because of politics-- insofar as the economy is concerned, my administration has addressed its immediate concerns; we have made progress in cutting our fiscal deficit, and with the passage of the E-VAT and improved tax collection, we now have additional sources of revenue.
The E-VAT was, from the administration's standpoint, one of its few bright spots. Why they would do anything to delay its implementation is beyond me.
Ah, but the conspiracy theorists argue that the president wanted to avoid anything that would make her more unpopular, something that would have happened with the price increases (e.g., gasoline) that would have followed the implementation of the E-VAT. Ergo, she must have had a hand in the TRO.
That's crazy.
The president's already taken a lot of flak for aggressively lobbying for the passage of the E-VAT. Anybody who hates her for supporting the E-VAT won't hate her any less if it's delayed.
In short, the president wouldn't have gained much from delaying the implementation of the E-VAT. The issuance of the TRO was as damaging as any scandal-- another example of the administration's failure to get its act together. It's highly unlikely the administration would have viewed it any other way.
Politicians are expected to say anything to protect their reputations. But they should draw the line at dragging down the reputations of other people to protect their own. Drilon has no business questioning the integrity of the members of the Supreme Court, especially since the basis for his statements and actions was a mere rumor. I mean, who in his right mind would question the character of thirteen men and women with excellent track records in government on the basis of chismis (gossip)?
Well, they do say that ambition can blind a man. Looks like it can dull one's brain as well.
1 comment:
Hi Jed M. Eva III, I found your blog post Nang Dahil sa Chismis (Because of Gossip) whilst looking for info on accounting software. Yours is an interesting Blog and I can see why it came up when i use 'accounting software' in the search. Thanks for a great read, I'll be back for more! Bye for now.
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