Selective persecution?

President Rodrigo Duterte believes ABS-CBN has not paid taxes which led to the giant network’s franchise not being renewed, ultimately leading to its closure. I’m not sure how much in supposedly unpaid taxes, which the BIR itself debunked, but I doubt it even comes close to the unpaid taxes of Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s family to the tune of ?203.8 billion. The Supreme Court said their decision is final and the Marcos family must pay the estate tax with accrued interest. Finance Secretary Dominguez himself said the Marcoses have not paid. The BIR said they have not paid. And yet the Commission on Elections allowed Marcos Jr. to run even though there are eligibility rules regarding non-payment of taxes by those hoping to be elected to government positions. If ABS-CBN was shut down believing taxes were not paid, why not act on an unpaid two-hundred billion pesos in taxes by the former dictator's family and even allowed to run for the highest position in the country? Selective persecution?

Imagine what more than two-hundred billion pesos can be used to fund projects that can truly help the people. In agriculture, education, health, economy, and even defense. Imagine if that amount was available and used at the height of the pandemic. The financial promises to frontliners would have been given immediately. The purchase of the first vaccines could have been made much earlier. That enormous amount would have gone a long way.

Marcos is at the forefront of surveys today. If the surveys are accurate, if the election takes place today, he will win. The question is, what will happen to those tax cases? Will he just absolve his family? Will the PCGG, specifically created by the Corazon Aquino administration to go after and take back the illegal wealth of the Marcos family, be dissolved? And if the president does not want to pay taxes, does that mean that ordinary people can no longer pay taxes?

We have less than a month to go before the elections. All the candidates are determined to convince voters they should be elected, although the press conference of three presidential and two vice-presidential candidates at the Manila Peninsula I found quite amusing. It is not surprising that social media is now awash with fake news, mudslinging, and even outright threats by supporters. Voters must know how to filter out fake news and must also know the credentials and qualifications of every candidate. We should go beyond the shallow reasons for voter preference that has plagued this country for decades.