Reader's view on RH, tax on foreign residents, etc

We received an interesting letter which we feel deserves space and attention, not just by our advocates of Reproductive Health, but also by government officials in the finance sector. Here is David Laibow’s letter:

Experienced being poor

“I’m writing to you concerning your column, “Beyond reproductive health issues” in (the Feb. 11, 2011) number of The Star.

“I haven’t been in the Philippines long enough to know about the Reproductive Health bill, or the general state of reproductive health from the standpoint of either the Catholic Church or the government over the past decade, so I’m not really qualified to comment.

“I have some experience with being almost as poor as some of the children who come up to me when my [Filipina] wife and I shop at PureGold at Clark Field, or if we worship at San Fernando’s Metropolitan Cathedral. They see me as a “rich American” and approach me with their hands out. I give them each P5 or P10. This doesn’t discharge my responsibilities by any means, but it’s better than nothing.

“I was born in 1938, and was just under seven years old when the Japanese surrendered. Not many people are aware that the end of World War II brought the Great Depression back to the United States, and that situation lasted until North Korea attacked South Korea, when the US permanent war machine went back into action.

“I know that my parents, my younger sister and I were not overly blessed with the world’s goods, and that my parents went without meals so that my younger sister and I wouldn’t have to. Happily, I’ve risen in the world since 1950, and we now enjoy modest prosperity. It’s just as well that I have no money for a luxury high-rise in Makati or Taguig, because I have no taste for that kind of life.

“I enthusiastically support the Conditional Cash Transfer program which puts small amounts of money into the hands of the indigent, because while those amounts aren’t much, they are better than nothing. If you want to make a poor person less poor, put money in their hands. How hard can that be?

Tax foreign remittance to non-citizen residents

“Over the past two months, I’ve written to His Excellency at the Presidential Action Center, suggesting that Congress enacts a three percent tax on foreign remittance to non-citizens such as myself (please note that Philippine citizens receiving remittances would not be affected in any way), with the proceeds used for public education.

“I’ve also sent this proposal to the 61 members of the House of Representatives Health Committee, and to the 23 present members of the Senate. If you like, I’ll send you a copy of the letter.

“The best way to give a better education to poor children who can’t afford a private school education is to make more money available to DepEd – how hard can that be?

No free ride

“I didn’t come to the Philippines for a free ride, I came to contribute to society, to make this a better place to live, and that means a healthier, better educated citizenry. Non-citizen residents who want a free ride, as far as I’m concerned, are perfectly welcome to go live somewhere else.

“I receive approximately $1,200 per month in foreign remittances, and applying $36 (at the 44 rate, that’s about P1,600 per month) to public education doesn’t seem at all unreasonable to me – and since most non-citizens receive a lot more than I do, their three percent will be a lot more than mine.

“I’ve already found a way to put my three percent to work. My wife, who is the family CFO (I’m a creating artist, so I leave all that to her), told me that I can underwrite a public school child’s uniform, registration fee and daily pocket money for $40 or less a month. I told her to find a child to underwrite.

More money for government programs

“My prejudice against the idea you state of “by also going down personally to the slums” doesn’t stem from a preference for Fort Bonifacio Global City to Tondo; I grew up in a slum at least as bad as the worst part of Tondo you’ve ever seen (except that we had paved streets, because we were at the waterfront); it’s respect for the privacy of the residents.

“If I lived there, I wouldn’t want strangers coming to me and telling me how to live my life. There’s a description of just that in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House which you might want to look out if you’ve never read that particular work.

“Put more money in the hands of government, and let them implement the programs that will work.

No monopoly on corruption

“By the way, I’m not unfamiliar with the prospect of graft with public money; my late mother’s family developed that to a fine art between the World Wars.

“The Philippines may look corrupt to you, but it isn’t that bad compared with the United States or Israel (I’m a Jew, and I can tell you horror stories you’d never dare believe – when Israel became a nation, that was the functional equivalent of giving worldwide organized crime its own private country). At least, here you have anti-graft courts.

Underwrite a public school student

“We’re living through a seismic left-hand shift of wealth that only happens every 500 years or so, as wealth and power cross the Pacific from North America and western Europe. We need a healthy and well-educated population if we’re going to get our share of that wealth and power.

“I’m doing my tiny part by suggesting a way to have more money for education without cost to Philippine citizens, and by underwriting the fees for a single public school student. Would you care to put aside P19,000 to match mine? Or suggest it in your column or privately to your friends? Anybody can talk the talk; would you care to walk the walk?

“Mr. Gamboa, thanks for taking the time to consider this letter. Perhaps, if you think well of my idea for a three percent tax on foreign remittances to non-citizen foreigners who reside here, you might care to advocate it (whether you mention me is a matter of total indifference to me, since I came to the Philippines to make a contribution, not to be famous – which I’ve been in the States, and I liked it a lot less the second time than I did the first)”.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected]. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.