Thread by @sejoalzir

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS: A THREAD

Let me play political consultant for Leni Robredo. I'll focus on vote-getting amendments for 2022.

In 2016 Duterte's federalism picked many votes. Indeed, promised constitutional amendments in the US or the Philippines work during elections.

Foreign Equity Ownership

Industries that may affect national security or public safety, that involve natural resources, and that may cause environmental problems should have 49%-51% ownership in favor of Filipinos.

The rest of the industries should allow 100% foreign ownership.

The 1984 Bhopal disaster should be the textbook guide when it comes to the issue of 100% foreign ownership. It is a gas leak incident in India that killed and injured 3,000+ and 500,000+ people respectively. Compensation was possible because 49% was owned by Indian investors.

Imagine if there is a big gas facility that is fully owned by a Chinese company set up in the Philippines, it explodes and kills 100,000 Filipinos, and the Chinese owners and workers hurriedly leave the country. How can the Government prosecute them and make them pay in absentia?

Dangerous industries that may adversely affect public health, national security, and environmental safety should have local Filipino owners who will hold the majority of shares. In case something disastrous happens and the foreigners leave, the victims can sue the local owners.

Taxing the Church

Since the involvement of the Catholic Bishops, Iglesia ni Cristo, and influential Christian groups in politics, elections, and legislations cannot be stopped or curtailed, they should be taxed in the form of charitable public services for indigent Filipinos.

The Government should assess the properties, businesses, revenues, and investments of church groups, and they should be taxed according to their worth. Non-monetary taxation should range from feeding programs to orphanages and from free hospitalizations to college scholarships.

The Jesuits, for example, should be taxed in the form of scholarships for poor students who study at their universities. There are Catholic congregations and Christian denominations who run hospitals that should be taxed with free hospital admissions for those who cannot afford.

Iglesia ni Cristo has a huge indoor arena. Their tax should be the free use of its facility as a shelter when there is a natural disaster. Its universities should offer scholarships too. A small group of Sikhs in Manila has been feeding the poor daily. That should be its tax.

Internal Revenue Allotment Computation

Yes, IRA should be in the Constitution. The sole initial basis is population, but there are add-ons afterwards. Extra funds for large area, less economic growth, high unemployment, high hunger incidence, and low human development index.

It is absurd that Davao City with lesser population gets more IRA funds than Manila, which has more population. That is so because Davao is larger than Manila in area. That's idiotic as far as I am concerned. It is the breathing people who need public services not the idle land.

To incentivize area development, high economic growth, low unemployment, low hunger incidence, and high human development index, a certain percentage should be added to the IRA of high-performing LGU's that is more than the combined extra funds received by low-performing LGU's.

That also prevents LGU's from not doing their jobs so they will continue receiving extra funds that are lesser than the incentive.

The Supreme Court's ruling that IRA should come from all national revenues is correct. That prevents stealing of surplus funds and helps poor LGU's.

Another thing that bothers me is property tax. LGU's in Visayas and Luzon earn more from property tax than those LGU's in Mindanao that is mostly boondocks, idle lands, and nipa houses. Property taxes should be paid to the national government so the IRA will be higher for all.

Many LGU's are not creative when it comes to local revenues because they rely on property taxes. LGU's in NCR can afford to fund costly projects because of property taxes. That cannot be said about the LGU's in Caraga Region. Nationalize property tax for national distribution.