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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Wednesday, April 5, 2017
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MANILA – Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III urged parliamentarians from around the world to push for laws that would benefit both the rich and the poor.
The Senate president made the statement during the 136th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
“The process of change will be hard and difficult but we should never give up. Let us embrace a sense of urgency in this battle to eliminate inequalities in the world and in our societies,” Pimentel said.
He also informed legislators that the Philippines is moving towards federalism, which is expected to fast track rural development and bring last peace in Mindanao region.
“This dichotomy in Philippine society, where there are the haves who are living in abundance and abandon, and the have-nots who are very poor and have been left behind, is an unpleasant reminder, for a legislator like me, that in our country, economic growth has only benefited the already wealthy,” he said.
While waiting for the benefits of federalism, the senator from Cagayan de Oro said Congress under the Duterte presidency has “begun to address some problems which promote or perpetuate inequality with policy changes.”
To reduce social inequity, the government was in the process of passing laws to provide free tertiary education, to promote investments, to ensure job security, and to reform the country’s income tax system, according to him.
In promoting ease of doing business in the country, Pimentel said the Duterte administration plans to “cut red tape, make government-issued documents more reliable and trustworthy so that there should be no more need to get repetitive documents from numerous government agencies.”
The government will also impose an ambitious 72-hour deadline for all applications with government to level the playing field between small and big businesses, added Pimentel.
“We will also put an end to this unlawful form of labor-only contracting,” he ended./PN
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