Strengthening the family

(COLUMN)

BIG BROTHER
By: Councilor Alex F. Patio

== We, as parents, should and must do our share by not providing only for the food, shelter and clothing for our children==

On the month of September of every year, a one week celebration is allotted in observance of the importance of a family and it is called National Family Week-- a civic observance to praise and strengthen the nation’s basic social unit. Various civic and educational observances are planned throughout the week to call attention to the family and its needs.

The Filipino family, as the social scientists like to describe it, often consists of more than one generation, so that both parents and grandparents collaborate in raising the children and in handling household responsibilities. In recent years, social and economic pressures have taken their toll on the family. As young Filipinos migrate to the cities in search of a better future, or travel abroad to find adequate employment, families are often separated by great distances. The elderly are often left in the province while the youth pursue their fortune elsewhere. Children are sometimes neglected in the process and suffer.

Of all the species which dwell on this planet, the human offspring takes the longest time to reach maturity. In the human sophisticated industrializing culture of the Philippines, children need their parents well into their twenties. To attain their full potential, children need an education that takes time to attain. A few generations ago, a high school diploma was enough for a good economic future. Today’s children need college and even graduate degrees and the burden on parents can be exhausting.

The family, however, plays a crucial role in nation building. It is the first school of the next generation. That is why parents must instill confidence and a sense of identity into the minds and hearts of their children. Families demand long-term commitments and enduring relationships for the welfare of the offspring. After begetting offspring, parents must cherish their children, care for them and supply their needs.

It is fitting that the nation focuses attention on the Filipino family not only for a week, rather al- throughout the year. May every citizen do his part to strengthen family ties and to promote family values. The family is the portal to the nation’s future.

And we, as parents, should and must do our share by not providing only for the food, shelter and clothing for our children. As much as we can, give them the best education. Through education, they will be armed with the necessary weapon to improve their economic stature. That way, if we have an educated family, each member will become productive citizen. If no citizen becomes idle, then we can truly say that we are promoting and empowering the family that after all, belongs to us or indeed our own family. A productive family begets productive community, society and a nation.

In an intolerable society, the task of working for revolutionary change is the duty and the privilege of all parents and children, young and old. It’s just that we should all work together in the realization of a better society.

Here in San Fernando, the city government wants to institutionalize programs that would surely reap positive outcome, like giving preference to the elderly, assistance to senior citizens, providing livelihood to women sector, uplifting education befitting our youth through scholarship provisions, health care and free medicines to name a few.

In a continuous cycle, the youth of today will establish their own family, a productive family, educated and will be free from bondage of poverty.

Smart nixes tax on text

(COLUMN)

UPPERCUT

By: Albert B. Lacanlale

Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) recently said that the consolidated bill approved by the House of Representatives imposing a tax on text and other services will hurt consumers, particularly low-income earners, who are heavy users of these services.

In a statement, SMART hit the three provisions of the consolidated House Bill which are: imposing a five centavo tax per SMS (short messaging service), MS (messaging service) and multi-media service (MMS); imposing five centavo tax per overseas dispatch, message or conversation transmitted from the Philippines; and, authorizing the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to acquire a metering device or portal which will interconnect the NTC, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and other concerned agencies with mobile phone service providers.

Ray C. Espinosa, head of the Regulatory Affairs and Policy Office of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) said the proposed tax on text “is objectionable because it will constitute a big burden on consumers and it comes at a time when the effective price of a text message has already significantly come down with the proliferation of bucket pricing which includes unlimited plans.”

In the case of the SMART Group, 92 percent of its SMS traffic is generated out of bucket-priced plans.

“Bucket-priced SMS plans, which include the very popular unlimited SMS plans, are the ‘pang-masa’ SMS offerings of the SMART Group. The average price of these bucket-priced SMS traffic is effectively 11 centavos per SMS. The 5 centavo tax translates, therefore, into a whopping 45.5 percent tax per SMS,” Espinosa said.

Bucket-priced SMS plans, which benefit most low-income earners, operate on the basis of either unlimited SMS or a pre-defined number of SMS traffic over a defined time period. These bucket-priced SMS plans now serve the basic communication needs of the country’s lowest income earners. SMS in this country, more than anywhere else in the world, has evolved into a basic and very affordable communication tool.

However, the imposition of the tax on SMS will destroy and obliterate the bucket-priced SMS plans since the tax is imposed on each SMS. Consumers, therefore, can no longer expect to see bucket-priced plans including the very popular unlimited text plans if and when the SMS tax is imposed. SMS will revert to standard pricing which will not serve the needs of low income earners.

On this basis, the proposed tax on SMS is clearly anti-poor and anti-consumer.

THE TAX ON OVERSEAS CALL

The consolidated House Bill (as officially transmitted to SMART by the House Committee on Ways and Means) also imposes a 5 centavo tax on each overseas call made from the Philippines. Again, this is uncalled for and imposes a big burden on consumers, particularly the family and loved ones of our OFWs who need to stay in touch them. Sadly, this proposed tax comes in the aftermath of efforts of telephone companies to lower the price of overseas calls originating from the Philippines.

On this basis, the proposed tax on overseas calls is again clearly anti-poor and anti-consumer, and in particular, anti-OFW.

THE METERING DEVICE OR PORTAL

The installation of a “metering device or portal” which will interconnect the NTC, BIR and “other concerned agencies” with mobile phone service providers should be viewed with serious concern by all those in the private and public sectors.

While the “device” or “portal” is being pushed ostensibly to keep mobile phone service providers honest tax-wise, this “device” or “portal” is actually in the nature of a “probe” which, given recent technology advancements, is powerful enough to retrieve and store messages and allow these messages to be viewed and read. All messages, therefore, can be read by “concerned agencies.”

The capability of this “metering device” or “portal” to allow messages to be stored, retrieved, viewed, and read sends a serious chilling effect on the constitutional right to privacy of every individual. The technological capability of these “probes” should be extensively examined and scrutinized since this capability can be abused.

If the concern is to make sure that mobile phone service providers declare and pay correct taxes, there is already abundant monitoring being done today by the Bureau of Internal Revenue to ensure that taxes are properly declared and paid.