Lacson: Marcos’ unpaid taxes could fund P18-B Nat’l Broadband Program

The unpaid estate taxes of the Marcoses could fully fund the government’s P18 billion National Broadband Program (NBP), presidential candidate and Senator Panfilo Lacson said.

In a statement released Monday, Lacson expressed his intent to go after unsettled taxes to fund the government’s crucial projects, including the NBP, which is expected to significantly improve the internet connection in the country.

He recalled pursuing the full funding of the NBP during the Senate deliberations of the country’s annual budget as the sponsor of the budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

This push, however, was not accepted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the NBP was only given P900 million, preventing the DICT from establishing the fiber optic backbone which is a vital component of high-speed internet services.

"‘Pag nagawa ‘yon (NBP) magiging steady ‘yung ating internet service. Sa kasamaang palad, lagi kong pinu-pursue ‘yon—P18-billion. Kayang-kayang hugutin ‘yon sa ibang mga ahensya na alam ko naman hindi magagamit sa tama. Ang problema na naman implementation,” Lacson was quoted as saying.

[If we accomplish that (NBP), our internet services will be steady. Unfortunately, I was always trying to pursue that—P18-billion. I was drawing funds from other agencies that I believe would only misuse it. But the problem again was in the implementation.]

With the improvement of internet connection in the country, Lacson reiterated that the government could achieve the digitalization of government services, which is one of his priority programs if elected in the upcoming polls.

For this reason, he said he would pursue whatever taxes are owed to the government to fund future projects for the benefit of the people.

“Isipin mo P23-billion estate tax, umabot na ng P203-billion kasi sa tagal. Kasi every year, nadadagdagan ’yon, five percent… Bakit hindi pa rin nakokolekta?... Napabayaan nang napabayaan… Kung tayo digitalized, hindi aabot sa ganoon, nabayaran na,” Lacson said.

[Think about it, P23-billion estate tax, but it reached P203-billion because it was long overdue. Because every year, it incurs a five percent interest rate… Why is it not being collected? … It continues to be neglected… If we are already digitalized, it would not get to that point, it will be paid.]

He was referring to the estate tax debts of the family of fellow presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s family, which the Bureau of Internal Revenue has not collected yet.

Lacson earlier warned that the government might not collect the tax debts of the Marcos family should Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.  win the presidency.

GMA News Online asked Marcos’ camp to comment on Lacson’s statement, but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

At an earlier forum, however, Marcos said there is “a lot of fake news involved” in the issues regarding his family’s ill-gotten wealth when asked specifically about the estate tax debt reportedly worth at least P200 billion.

Marcos said, "They are just presumptions, they are not familiar with the cases or they choose not to be familiar with the case so yeah, it’s in the courts.

On Sunday, Marcos’ spokesperson, Atty. Vic Rodriguez, claimed that the supposed P203 billion in tax liabilities is still pending in court, saying the issue was “all about politics.”

“It’s not a coincidence that rivals of presidential frontrunner Bongbong Marcos are raising this matter in unison a few weeks before the elections. Sadly, this is all about politics,” Rodriguez said.

“Our rivals are misdirecting everyone by claiming that the case has attained finality when the truth of the matter is, it is still pending in court and the ownership of the properties in litigation has yet to be settled,” he added.

In 1997, Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by Marcos Jr. to reverse the decision of the Court Appeals which stated that ”the deficiency assessments for estate and income tax made upon the petitioner and the estate of the deceased President Marcos have already become final and unappealable, and may thus be enforced by the summary remedy of levying upon the properties” of the late dictator.

Earlier, the BIR confirmed that it sent to the Marcos family a written demand to settle their estate tax liabilities.  — Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA News