NGO slams Recto for interpellation vs Drilon at sin tax debate

An independent non-government policy group criticized Sen. Ralph Recto for his lengthy interpellation of Sen. Franklin Drilon about the sin tax bill in the Senate on Tuesday. Recto resigned as head of the Senate ways and means committee, which is handling the sin tax bill, when his version bill was criticized by groups, health advocates and fellow senators as being "watered down" and favoring the tobacco industry. Drilon was named the acting chairman of the committee upon Recto's resignation. According to the Action for Economic Reforms (AER), Recto’s long interpellation was an attempt to delay the passage of the bill. “Sen. Recto was more concerned about the sales and profits of the tobacco industry rather than the harmful effects of smoking, resulting in greater costs to society,” said AER coordinator Filomeno Sta. Ana. Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance executive director Dr. Maricar Limpin also criticized Recto, saying that he used data provided by the tobacco industry. “It’s unfair and disingenuous to use data only from the industry, which has vested interests,” she said. Limpin also urged the Senate to pass the sin tax bill immediately. “This bill has a health objective that aims to save lives, to regulate the habitual use of cigarettes and tobacco. Many lives, including those of tobacco farmers, industry workers and their families may be saved by this measure,” she said. The Departments of Finance and Health and the Bureau of Internal Revenue have been pushing for a sin tax measure that would bring in P60 billion in revenues, but said that they would settle for P40 billion in revenues if the former is unreachable. Drilon’s version of the sin tax bill would yield P40 billion to P45 billion in revenues in its first year of implementation. In June, the House of Representatives approved a version of the sin tax bill that would bring in P31.35 billion in revenues in the first year of implementation. — BM, GMA News