Solons slam ‘railroading’ of TRAIN ratification

FILE: Militant lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Thursday assailed the “brazen railroading” of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) in the bicameral conference committee report. (Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — Militant lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Thursday assailed the “brazen railroading” of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) in the bicameral conference committee report.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the ratification of the TRAIN by the lower chamber late Wednesday night is a “patent railroading” amid the “clear absence of a quorum and our strong objections.”

“There were only about less than 20 members of the House present when the wrecker TRAIN was railroaded for ratification late Wednesday night,” Zarate said.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, for his part, described the move as a “total farce and travesty of so-called representative democracy.”

Tinio added that since there was no quorum and no actual vote was taken, the ratification is “clearly invalid.”

“With barely 10 people on the floor and despite my very clear objections due to obvious lack of quorum, the presiding officer, and majority floor leader proceeded to adopt the final report of the tax reform bill’s bicameral conference committee, copies of which were not even on hand,” Tinio said.

Zarate and Tinio cited Rule X, Sec. 63 of the House on Conference Committee Reports, which states that: “xxx A conference committee report shall be ratified by a majority vote of the Members of the House present, there being a quorum.”

“Obviously the run-away train that would wreak havoc on our people with new burdensome taxes was not validly ratified and legally infirmed,” Zarate said.

“We are now studying all our options, including legal, to question and stop this railroaded anti-people tax reform package,” Zarate added.

For his part, Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas said, “if any member is contesting the report of the presiding officer and the floor leaders about the proceedings leading to the ratification of the Bicameral Committee Report on the TRAIN, such member could bring it to the attention of Plenary or, if not contented, to the courts.”

The Congress on Wednesday night ratified the controversial tax reform package or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill which raises taxes on coal, mining, and tobacco, among others.

Both the Senate and House of Representatives voted to pass the bicameral conference committee report after reconciling differences of their respective versions.

Self-employed and professionals earning below PHP250,000 will be exempted from income tax starting January 1, 2018.

The tax exemption cap of 13th-month pay and other bonuses was raised to PHP90,000.