Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “Marcos”

Marcos signs law imposing 12% VAT on Netflix, Spotify, other digital services   

JM Chavaria, writing for Yugatech;

In a move aimed at bolstering government revenue, the Philippines has introduced a 12% value-added tax (VAT) on digital services offered by foreign firms. This includes popular platforms like Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon, among other digital service providers (DSPs) — which have previously enjoyed tax exemptions.

Duey Guison, of Unbox.ph explainsRepublic Act 112023, all services provided by resident and non-resident digital service providers regardless if they have a physical presence in the Philippines are subject to an additional 12% VAT. The law also adds a new provision to the Tax Code, where ‘”digital services delivered by foreign digital service providers are considered performed or rendered in the Philippines if the digital services are consumed in the Philippines.’

The law does not only cover streaming service but basically “most” online service like ecommerce, digital platform or online merchant that caters to the Philippine market even if the company does not have any physical store or office in the Philippines.

In a press release, “Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero said the bill imposing a 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) on digital transactions will level the playing field for local and foreign digital service providers (DSPs), streamline tax administration and shore up government coffers by at least P80 billion in revenues.”

“Digital service is defined as any service supplied over the internet or other electronic network with the use of information technology and where the supply of the service is essentially automated. These include online search engines, online marketplace or e-marketplace, cloud service, online media and advertising, online platform, or digital goods.”

The law basically covers every companies doing online transaction.

Lauren Greenfield’s The Kingmaker now free to stream online

If you are one of the people waiting for Lauren Greenfield’s critically acclaimed documentary The Kingmaker, then you can now watch the film online and for free.

Last March 11, 2022, Lauren Greenfield announced the availability of the film on her twitter account.

From Wikipedia;

The Kingmaker is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by Lauren Greenfield, featuring the political career of Imelda Marcos with a focus on the Marcos family’s efforts to rehabilitate the family’s image and to return to political power,[7][8] including her plans to see her son Bongbong become President of the Philippines,and the alliance that Bongbong and Imee Marcos established with Rodrigo Duterte in his bid to win the 2016 Philippine presidential election.

It debuted internationally in August 2019 at the 76th Venice Film Festival, and debuted in the Philippines on January 29, 2020.

The Kingmaker was nominated as best documentary at the London Film Festival and the Stockholm Film Festival, and for the Checkpoints Award at the Bergen International Film Festival. It was nominated for four categories in the 2019 Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards, eventually winning the award for Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary. It also received the Audience Award for Best Documentary Film at the Warsaw International Film Festival 2019.

To watch the film, you can go to Vimeo or copy and past this link: https://vimeo.com/358556466.

Trillanes warns voters against Ferdinand Marcos Sr. for the “greatest robbery of a government”

In a tweet (embedded above), Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV warns voters against the Marcos family and Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in particular for holding the “Greatest robbery of a Government.”

He added that “Don’t take my word for it. I-google nyo” referring to the conduct their own research regarding the issue.

In the Guinness World Records article;

The government of the Philippines announced on 23 Apr 1986 that it had succeeded in identifying $860.8 million (£569.5 million) salted away by the former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (1917–89) and his wife Imelda. The total national loss from November 1965 was believed to be $5–$10 billion.

Trillanes is running for Senator under the opposition standard-bearer Vice President Leni Robredo. He is also known as one of Duterte’s fierce critic even before he won he became the President of the country.

Bongbong Marcos to run for President in the 2022 National Elections

Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. has officially announced that he will be running for President in the 2022 national elections. He is the second child and only son of former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos and former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

He previously ran for Vice President in the 2016 National Elections but lost to the eventual winner VP Leni Robredo. He disputed the election results before the Supreme Court but the High Tribunal dismissed his election protest. It is unclear who will be Bongbong Marcos running mate for the VP position.

If VP Leni Robredo decides to run for President, we may see a rematch of the 2016 Election with a number strong candidates namely Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Isko Moreno and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.