Slow progress and a jet full of drugs

Ask Filipinos, especially minimum wage earners, about the skyrocketing cost of living in the country these days and you will surely get the same answer – if only there was some kind of relief.

For many, relief was supposed to come in the form of the Promoting Growth, Revenue and Equity toward Socio-Economic Sustainability (ProGRESS) Bill – a tax package designed to put money where it is supposed to be: back into household budgets.

The ball is now in Congress.

Early on, President Marcos, following his State of the Nation Address and subsequent Palace briefings, called for tax relief measures supposedly to help low- and middle-income workers cope with the rising costs of living.

While experts have called for caution, saying such measures would affect the country’s fiscal position, minimum wage earners are counting on the measure for relief.

And yet, why is the ProGRESS Bill taking so long to clear the House?

Inflation sizzled to 7.2 percent in September from 6.1 percent in August.

As such, for many Filipinos, especially the average employee, an immediate financial cushion is sorely needed now, not more policy discussions that seem to go nowhere.

Under the proposal, raising the annual personal income tax exemption threshold to P350,000 from P250,000 would put at least P7,500 back into the pockets of millions of taxpayers every year.

That amount is significant enough for many households. It could mean more grocery items, additional money for health and essential goods or extra cash to pay for higher electricity bills or transport fares.

Furthermore, the bill could also serve as a life raft for struggling micro and small business owners, who would be exempt from the minimum corporate income tax.

But the progress of the ProGRESS Bill has been slow.

The rising cost of living is hurting Filipinos every day, no thanks to global uncertainties that continue to push up oil prices. There’s seemingly no end in sight to the challenging environment.

This means that every day ProGRESS stays stalled, the purchasing power of wage earners bleeds out a little faster.

Congress must recognize the urgency of the moment, move the bill forward and deliver the tax relief working Filipinos sorely need.

From vape to drugs

The Philippines has again made it to the international press because of a private jet discovered to contain 521 kilograms of shabu (crystal meth). That’s equivalent to 10 regular (50-kilo) sacks of rice.

Supposedly, the jet was booked by a Filipino and is reportedly bound for Manila. It was declared to contain vapes, only for authorities to discover illegal drugs upon inspection.

This is alarming and jaw-dropping, and the police must get to the bottom of it.

There are now all sorts of buzz on the grapevine about the incident.

One rumor swirling all over social media is that this is not an isolated incident. According to the grapevine, this isn’t the first shipment but the only one intercepted from a string of regular private jet shabu hauls.

Another rumor that won’t die down is that supposedly one of the big bosses behind this planned shipment of illegal drugs into the country is an incumbent lawmaker from a powerful family.

If true, this is a cause for worry and a testament to how close we are to becoming a narco-state, if we aren’t one already.

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, according to news reports, has already confirmed that a Filipino citizen was arrested at an airport in Laos on Oct. 1.

PDEA spokesman Joseph Calulut confirmed the arrest but said the agency has yet to verify if the Filipino is a drug courier.

According to ABS-CBN, The Star in Malaysia reported last week the seizure of 521 kilograms of shabu in Laos. The suspected drugs were in a private jet believed to be bound for the Philippines.

Calulut said Philippine authorities have yet to get the full report from foreign counterparts and that the nationality of the other suspect has yet to be verified.

“This is a private jet that was allegedly hired by some individual. But, as for the complete details, we are still waiting for the final reports,” he said, as quoted by ABS-CBN.

PNP monitoring

Apparently, the use of private jets has become another method for drug syndicates to transport illegal drugs into the country, according to the Philippine National Police.

“We are intensifying our intelligence monitoring and information sharing with regional counterparts to deny opportunities for illegal drug syndicates either to operate in the Philippines or to make our country a transshipment point for illegal drugs,” PNP chief Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez said.

The PNP has said it is verifying whether the shipment was headed for the Philippines.

As I wrap up this column, there has been no substantial update on the private jet carrying the suspected drugs. Authorities are still investigating the matter.

No campaign against illegal drugs will ever succeed without going after the big fish.

Here at home, the whispers continue. Powerful people, kibitzers say in hushed tones, are believed to be involved.

For sure, 521 kilos of shabu is no small matter, nor is the possibility that a big fish may be behind the smuggling attempt.

The truth, wherever it leads, must come out.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen on FB.