By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The local chapter of Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (Spark) called on the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday to immediately revoke the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, following complaints surrounding rising prices on primary commodities.
In an email, Spark spokesperson Joanne Lim, said officials “lied” about the impact of the TRAIN Law.
“They painted a rosy picture of the economy under the administration’s ‘Build, Build Build’ program, which the TRAIN Law was designed to finance,” she noted, adding, its “minimal and temporary effects” were a small price to pay for the infrastructure venture.
Lim also hit presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. after the latter accused anti-TRAIN groups of spreading false information.
“A mere five months into its implementation [and] the poor [have] witnessed their purchasing power shrink more than ever,” Lim said. “The cost of goods are undeniably and consistently on the rise.”
“In order for this administration to save face, they must admit their misclaim and revoke TRAIN immediately before the economy dips further,” she added.
Lim also said government officials “believed in their own propaganda” and “neglected the fact that TRAIN Law was imposed on top of other neo-liberal economic policies.” She went on to point out oil and electricity deregulation, which the spokesperson said are susceptible to global market prices.
Aside from revoking the law, Lim strongly urged the government to abolish contractualization and to generate sustainable jobs. She also wants an end to regional wage boards and called for family living wages implemented as a national minimum wage in order to combat the rising cost of living./DGB, WDJ