President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (Presidential file photo)
MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte is proud of having taken down the country’s oligarchs over the past five years of his administration, vowing to ensure that they would no longer evade taxes.
“I went after the oligarchs and if that is one achievement that I can be proud of to myself alone,” he said in a pre-recorded meeting with Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) executives and government officials in Malacañang on Monday night.
Duterte said he had named them, assuring that he would no longer allow them to put the public at the disadvantage.
“They are already known to us. Nasabi ko na ‘yong mga pangalan nila and sabi ko (I already named them and I said) at no other time, they won’t get anything from me,” he said. “I will go after them for their taxes. They have to pay taxes.”
Duterte said one of the pressing problems in the country is the existence of "shameless" oligarchs, noting that the rich usually choose their preferred presidential candidate for their own benefit.
Duterte launched a word war with the Ayalas’ Manila Water and Manny Pangilinan’s Maynilad in 2019 over the supposed onerous provisions of their contract.
New concession agreements have since been crafted by the government and representatives of the two water firms.
Duterte, in several speeches, also insisted that he would not allow the Lopez-owned ABS-CBN Corp. to resume operations under his watch until it settles its tax obligations with the government. (PNA)
