Rody, Senate majority bloc share ‘intimate’ dinner

MANILA, Philippines -  President Duterte had an “intimate” dinner with 15 senators belonging to the majority bloc on Tuesday night at Malacañang amid rumors of a destabilization plot against him. 

Led by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, the senators who met with the President at the clubhouse of Malacañang Park across the Palace were Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Manny Pacquiao, Cynthia Villar, Alan Peter Cayetano, Richard Gordon, Sonny Angara, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Loren Legarda, Grace Poe and Joel Villanueva. 

The meeting was not publicly disclosed and it was only after Ejercito posted a photo of the dinner on his Twitter account that journalists found out about it.

Pimentel said he had long requested for the dinner with Duterte.

“There was no agenda, there was no expected output except to have a dinner with the President and we get to know him better,” Pimentel said, adding the meal was simple and the “ulam at kanin” (viand and rice) were on one plate.

Drug war

According to Ejercito, the meeting lasted for two hours and Duterte made his usual pitch regarding the war against drugs, explaining to the senators why there was a need to resume the Oplan Double Barrel of the Philippine National Police (PNP).  

“He talked about the circumstances. Imagine, 40 percent of barangays are infested or affected. He again showed the list (of drug suspects) and there were so many barangay captains and local officials there,” Ejercito said.

Inevitably, the name of Sen. Leila de Lima came up during the discussion on illegal drugs. De Lima is accused of receiving money from drug lords detained at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) for her senatorial bid in exchange for allowing the drug trade inside to go on during her term as justice secretary.

Ejercito said the President mentioned that the evidence against De Lima did not come from domestic sources, but were supplied by international intelligence bodies.

De Lima is currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center after being charged with involvement in the illegal drug trade at NBP.

Traffic jam, tax reform, Paris climate deal

Malacañang confirmed that the war on drugs was discussed during the President’s dinner with the senators.

“Aside from dinner, the President and the senators exchanged views on vital legislative agenda currently pending in the Senate,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

Among the pending bills they discussed was the proposed emergency powers to solve the traffic problem in Metro Manila.

“They likewise talked about the President’s war on drugs and the Senate concurrence to the Philippines’ accession to the Paris Agreement,” Abella said. 

Malacañang praised the Senate for ratifying the Paris climate deal.

“A resilient Philippines is a concern of all Filipinos and we thank everyone for their tireless efforts in pushing for the Philippines’ accession to the accord,” Abella said.

“With its ratification, the Duterte administration can pursue its economic development programs in line with sustainable development where all Filipinos can work and live in safer and more resilient cities with healthier surroundings,” he added.

Gatchalian said Duterte also asked the senators to try to reconcile their differences with the Department of Finance (DOF) regarding the administration’s proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Package that aims to lower personal and corporate taxes but seeks to increase excise taxes on some products, including fuel.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier warned that the tax reform package of economic managers will face rough sailing in Congress because it is the job of the Bureau of Internal Revenue to make an efficient tax collection.

The minority bloc in the House of Representatives is also opposed to the DOF’s tax reform package. They cited statistics from Asian neighbors showing that Vietnam is far better than the Philippines in tax revenue efficiency.

“Philippines has one of the highest tax rates in Asia. However, in terms of personal income taxes, the efficiency rate is pegged at only 6.2 percent, far from Vietnam’s 25.1 percent, the highest in the ASEAN region,” House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said.

Suarez reiterated the minority bloc’s call to the government, particularly the BIR and Bureau of Customs, “to implement stringent measures to ensure timely and efficient tax collection.”

He also called for “full implementation” of the Lateral Attrition Law (RA 9335) providing a reward and penalty system for BIR and Customs officials. He noted that the measure has become “dormant and inactive.”

Loyalty check?

It was the first time that Duterte met with such a large group of senators. In the past he usually met with small groups, mostly composed of people he was already familiar with. 

Sotto observed that it was the first time since the President assumed office in June 30 last year that some of the senators present “broke bread” with him.

Sotto said that in a way, the President is getting to know his allies in the Senate.

Last Feb. 27, senators from the Liberal Party – Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno Aquino and De Lima – and Sen. Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan were booted out of the majority bloc after repeatedly voting against certain legislative initiatives of the administration and criticizing Duterte’s human rights record. – With Alexis Romero, Delon Porcalla