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The unpaid 203-billion peso estate tax hurdle of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. sheds light on seemingly contrasting images of societal scenarios.
May 5, 2020, ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting stations in the Philippines officially shutdown after being issued a cease and desist order by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
The non-renewal by the government of its 25-year franchise given on March 30, 1995 prompted the NTC to issue such cease-and-desist order. This was anchored on the alleged tax deficiencies and unpaid debts of the Network. However, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) affirmed that ABS-CBN paid taxes regularly.
“They are regularly filing and paying their taxes for the past number of years,” Simplicio Cabantac, Jr., head of a unit of the BIR Large Taxpayers Service.
#FromTheArchives (July 2020)
ABS-CBN Corp. has no tax default as it has been “regularly” paying taxes for the past years, an official of the Bureau of Internal Revenue told a House joint committee hearing. | @DYGalvezINQ https://t.co/eTUIJ62cwQ
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) February 8, 2021
Netizens were quick to notice the duality of reactions on the past tax issue of ABS-CBN and the current estate tax issue of Marcos.
BIR on ABS-CBN: ABS-CBN has no tax delinquency; ‘regularly’ paying taxes
BIR on Marcos family: The BIR did send a written demand to the Marcos heirs on December 02, 2021 regarding their tax liabilities worth P203.819 billion. pic.twitter.com/hbp32LA2a9
— Pelikula Mania (@pelikulamania) March 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/roiekevinverano/status/1504323103421173763
Most people were enraged and skeptical by ABS-CBN but currently, believe and support Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. or BBM.
Despite the existence of a written demand letter on December 2, 2021, by the BIR regarding the Marcos heirs’ tax liabilities in a released letter dated March 14, 2022, by Caesar R. Dulay, Commissioner of Internal Revenue. This is about a question on whether the BIR sent a written demand to Marcos heirs and an interview on Atty. Vic Rodriguez, spokesperson of Marcos Jt. requested to directly ask the BIR on the matter.
“I think a letter has been sent already to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and that is the best authority to reply,” Atty. Vic Rodriquez answered.
On the other hand, Marcos Jr. in an interview with Marichu Villanueva on her program Kapihan sa Manila Bay, when asked about the estate tax issue, hit her with the classic “fake news” counter.
“There’s a lot of fake news involved there,” Marcos Jr. asserted.
The supposed open-minded supporters became political fanatics who are disillusioned by their twisted beliefs. It’s as if cognitive dissonance found its way to some supporters leading to denials and false assumptions; such is the case of their idol.
“They are just presumption, they are not familiar with the cases or they choose not to be familiar with the cases,” Marcos Jr. further explained to Mrs. Villanueva.
The estate issue further strengthens the duality that a parallel universe suggests otherwise that the 203 billion unpaid estate tax of Marcos could employ 1.97 million workers.
“Based on our initial computation, the Marcoses’ tax debt to the government can employ 1.97 million workers at the prevailing regional minimum wage and 21.6 average working days a month. This would reduce the unemployment rate by 4.49 percentage points,” Akbayan Partylist First Nominee Perci Cendana revealed in a recent interview.
While Marcos lives off on the said unpaid tax after being unemployed leaving the senate, a common Juan Dela Cruz could have been employed.
Not only is he employed but could have been offered the best social service through DSWD and other social benefits paid for by tax since it was the same amount of DSWD budget. It was reechoed in a tweet by a public budget analyst of iLead PH.
Duality comes in different forms and it manifested on the estate tax issue of Marcos on how being dealt with and as far as its supposed utopian parallel universe for normal Filipinos.B
