House committee okays courts creation, revenue generation

February 26, 2017

A committee in the House of Representatives has approved the funding provisions of bills creating more courts to hasten resolution of cases and raising government revenue through electronic linkage between the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and value added tax-registered taxpayers.

The bills form part of a long list of measures whose funding provisions were approved by the appropriations committee.

“Knowing that Congress will be going on a break by March 15, this committee saw it fit to have all of these bills approved so we can refer them back to their mother committees. The committees will then have the chance to report the bills out to the Plenary so we can have some more accomplishments before Congress breaks into recess,” said Rep. Karlo Alexei B. Nograles (1st District, Davao City), House committee on appropriations chair.

Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda (2nd District, Albay) and Rep. Jesus Nonato Sacdalan (1st District, North Cotabato), committee vice chairman and member, respectively, took notice of the still huge number of unfilled positions in the judiciary.

Rep. Vicente S. E. Veloso (3rd District, Leyte), a vice-chairman of the committee on justice, cited the stringent selection process, delays in appointment of judges due to elections, and lack of applicants in far-flung or conflict areas as the main reasons for the vacancies in the judiciary.

Approved were the funding provisions of House Bills 198 and 2433 and the substitute bills to HBs 451, 991, 2011 and 2029, seeking to create additional branches of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in certain parts of the country, authored respectively, by Reps. Jose Carlos Cari, Maria Theresa Collantes, Lucy Gomez, Joaquin Chipeco Jr., Cheryl Deloso-Montalla, and Imelda Marcos.

The committee also approved the funding provision of the substitute bill to HB 1234, seeking to create an additional branch of the RTC to be stationed in the Municipality of Bongabong, and for additional branches of the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) to be stationed in the Municipalities of Bansud, Bulalacao, Gloria, and Mansalay all in the Province of Oriental Mindoro, amending for the purpose Sections 14(e) and 30 of Batas Pambansa 129, as amended, and appropriating funds therefor, authored by justice committee chairman Rep. Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro)

The panel also approved the funding provision of the substitute bill to HB 2497, seeking to create two additional branches of the MTC in the National Capital Judicial Region to be stationed in Malabon City, amending for the purpose Section 27 of BP 129, as amended, and appropriating funds therefor, authored by Rep. Federico ‘Ricky’ Sandoval II (Lone District, Malabon City).

Meanwhile, in support of the government’s revenue generation efforts, the committee approved the funding provision of HB 4601, mandating the establishment of electronic linkage between the BIR  and VAT-registered taxpayers utilizing cash register and/or point-of-sale machines, authored by Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua (Lone District, Quirino), chairman of the committee on ways and means.

Salceda said the proposal, if implemented, could yield up to P54 billion in revenues for the government.

BIR Assistant Commissioner Rosario Charo E. Curiba expressed the agency’s full support for the bill as it will fill in the gaps in the under-declaration and non-declaration of tax payment. DMS