MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson said he will inhibit in case the proposed Senate investigation in connection with the estate tax of the Marcos family pushes through.
Lacson said he will not attend any hearing on the said estate tax deficiency case of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
“Ako, I will have to inhibit kasi yung involved du’n sa isyu na ‘yun, presidential candidate. So, this early, sasabihin ko, mag-i-inhibit ako from attending kung anuman yung hearing,” Lacson said.
This comes after Senator Koko Pimentel filed a resolution that seeks a Senate investigation on the failure of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to collect the said tax that has reportedly reached over Php203-billion.
Lacson said he will inhibit because the case will implicate former Senator Ferdinand ‘BongBong’ Marcos who is also a presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, Lacson’s running mare Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he is still mulling over whether he should attend the hearing or not.
However, Sotto said, that whatever committee will be tasked to conduct the probe may start anytime even if Congress is still on session break and is yet to resume until May 23.
Sotto said that any of the following committees may conduct the hearing.
These could be the Senate Committee on Finance being chaired by Senator Sonny Angara; the Ways and Means Committee headed by Senator Pia Cayetano or the Blue Ribbon Committee wherein Senator Richard Gordon is the chairperson.
Sotto said the Blue Ribbon has the authority to call for its own hearing on the case, while the two other committees may also deliberate on the issue during a hearing of any pending tax-related cases.
“Ang strategy lang diyan, ay yung kung meron silang naka pending na resolution or bill related to any tax measure or to any BIR issue, puwedeng tumawag ng hearing ‘yun doon. Ngayon, sasagasaan mo na yung resolution,” Sotto said.
Sotto, however, said he will still have to talk to Pimente on the said resolution. —/mbmf (from the report of UNTV Correspondent Harlene Delgado)
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