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Philippe: So yun, first topic is going to be about VAT on e-services or anything that’s, for example, Netflix, Disney, even Facebook ads. (0:26) Did you know that I recently created a Facebook ad tapos nakita ko VAT included na siya. (0:33) Sorry, VAT exclusive pero may additional VAT on top of the cost of your ads.
Andrea: Ilang percent?
Philippe: Twelve.
Andrea: One thousand sa ten percent. One two.
Philippe: Yeah, one two. So that’s eleven two total that you’re going to pay for Facebook ads. Now, ramdam din siya with Netflix, streaming services, Netflix, Disney.
I think, ano ba yung Prime? HBO. Ramdam na ramdam.Kasi yung whatever you’re paying for the last, if you’re paying like for 500 bucks for Netflix, plus pa.
Andrea: Pwede sa mga cloud storages. Google.
Philippe: That, I’m not sure. Google, Drive, Workspace.
Andrea: Ang GPT hindi pa nagtaas.
Arnel: Hindi pa, pero recently yung tools na ginagamit ko, like CapCut, nagtaas talaga siya. Yung Canva, yung ibang tools.
Kasi napansin ko eh, kasi I have a receipt from the past few months. When I checked it, nagtaas talaga sila.
Philippe: I think if you’re in CapCut, we have a subscription in CapCut. One year kasi kami. So na-charge na ako ng one year.
Andrea: Before pa na-apply.
Philippe: Before na-apply yung VAT. So next year.
Andrea: It’s the advantage of annual subscription.
Philippe: Yes, yes.
Arnel: Ang nakita kong disadvantage sa one year is because when I see, when there is new one, tool.
Andrea: Much better.
Andrea: You’re already tied up.
Arnel: So tied up pero doon sa one year. So I, kumbaga, testing ground ko muna yung monthly.
Sabagay, it works. Kung meron siyang bagong tool na lumabas.
Philippe: Sa aming ganun naman kami.
Arnel: There is no pain.
Andrea: Lalo AI, daming mga AI. Lalo sa AI actually
Philippe: Yes, yes.
Andrea: Like Opus, diba? So kung ikaw ay tied up na on another, you’re already paid up front.
Arnel: I have lifetime subscription sa Create Studio. Because I thought yun ay yung lifetime. I mean, nung pumasok yung Opus Clip.
Philippe: Hindi na.
Arnel: Tied up na ako.
Philippe: Tied up ka na.
Arnel: Nagbayad ko na malaki. So ito mas useful sa akin yung bago. Pero I subscribe to monthly.
Philippe: What are the services that you use that affect the pricing so far? E-services.
Mclaine: Wala kasi more on free lang ginagamit ko.
Philippe: But actually the free kasi once you sign up, may VAT na. Certain services, main services. Workspace, number one, Google Workspace, diba?n I think yung iCloud accounts, meron na din.
So anything, if you’re on Apple subscription, meron na din. Especially the monthly ones. Yung, I don’t think Apple has a annual subscription. Monthly siya, iCloud plus, right? I don’t know.
Is it a big deal sa inyo? I mean, is it something that we need to complain about? Is it something that disrupts our use of services? Kasi from what I’ve been hearing in the socials, everyone’s complaining about it.
Andrea: Kasi if you’re going to think about it from the get-go, yung tax kasi is for improvement, diba? Ng mga services of a certain country na nag-implement noon. If we’re then definitely getting something from that, dun sa tax na yun, then it’s okay, I believe.Kasi as a growing country, kailangan naman din talagang sumabay, diba?
Pero if we’re not getting the services or the benefit that we expect from it, then magko-complain talaga yung bawat isa. Especially, I will not get into that, baka pumasok na ako sa politika na usapan.Delikada tayo dito.
But then, yes and no for me. Yes, if I’m getting something from that, what I expect from it.
And then no, if I don’t feel it. And then misappropriation of funds, perhaps, of the government.
Philippe: Long, different topic, which I don’t think we’ll debate. We need more than 15 minutes for that. I think everyone’s overreacting. That’s what I think.
Andrea: Actually.
Philippe: If you think about it, you pay for taxes not even knowing about it on a daily basis. You gas up your car, you pay for tax. You guys are not just aware. You go to McDonald’s, you go to Jollibee, you go to any of these fast food chains, you’re paying for taxes.
Not 12% on food, but you’re paying for taxes. I think it’s just when people are just so used to paying for a certain service, like coming, any streaming like Spotify, Netflix. I think that’s where it hurts them.
But come on, it’s just out of 500. If you’re paying 500 pesos per month, what’s that with VAT?
Andrea: Ako naman, on my take, on a practical side, of course, I’m going to wear the hat of a wife or a mother. Let’s say people are complaining on the subscription fee of Netflix, of Disney.
On a practical sense, if it is something that you cannot afford, why avail it? If you feel it is out of your budget, why avail it?
The mere fact that you avail that, it is because you feel you can afford it. But at some point after the application of the VAT on that kind of services, then you contemplate, you assess.
If you can still afford it, perhaps do a downgrade or stop. Until such time, you’ll be able to afford that.
Philippe: I 100% agree with you. Because most people buy things that they can’t afford. For example, I know a lot of freelancers who are VAs.Nag-iipon sila pang bili ng mahal na phone.
So they would rather buy a flagship phone and spend 80% of their income just to get the latest flagship phone.
For example, I think it was a few days ago, this VA spent, I think, about 80 plus thousand on a brand new iPhone 16.
What are you going to use it for? Are you going to use it for work? Is it generating you money? Apparently, no. Luho lang.
Andrea: Tama.
Philippe: That’s why I think everyone’s overreacting on the situation. Because them not knowing about how important taxes are. Like you said, can’t afford it, don’t get it.
Andrea: Yes, kasi kaming mag-asawa, in our family, even with our kids, tinurunan namin sa kanila yan, we have to categorize things between your wants and your needs.
His subscription for all the tools and software that we’re using for work, it’s a need.
Philippe: Yeah.
Andrea: Because we need that to work, to generate money. Pero sa ibang mga subscription, I’m not bashing naman.
Although meron kaming Netflix, may Disney din.Pero we can afford it. Pero kung dadating yung time that we no longer cannot afford it, then ipaprioritize namin ang needs namin over wants.
Because those subscriptions, Netflix, Prime Video, HBO, or Disney, those are just wants.hat’s not your needs.
And then you’re going to be able to spend something for your wants, if you have extra, out of your abundance, if you’re able to provide all the expenses, muna na importante.
Philippe: There’s this one. One of the friends that I have in the motorcycle space, pumili siya ng big bike.
And he’s struggling paying monthly. He’s paying about, I think, 56,000 per month.
And it’s an expensive big bike. And he’s paying it for like five, I think five years.
Andrea: Five years.
Philippe: 36 months, five years. I don’t know. I think inuunan nila muna yung luho nila.
Andrea: Tama.
Arnel: And for the other side of the coin, just to make this issue more controversial, maybe. We’re talking about sa family side. But for the freelancer or VA side, perspective, like on my side or other VAs, meron silang mga subscription, which are the tools that they’re using.It’s really affecting dahil sa magtaas ng taxes.
Although we need to. But if you have multiple tools, subscriptions, aaray ka talaga. Ramdam mo talaga yung pagtaas. Kasi nakadepende yung dynamic mo, yung work mo doon sa tools na ginagamit mo.
So what I did is, ang taas, marami akong tools na ginagamit. I have to think kung ano ba ang useful o hindi. Ano ba yung tool na nag-earn ako rather than the tools na hindi ko naman siya kailangan.
But I hate to let it go because gamit naman lahat yun.But for the perspective ng income and earnings, aaray ako.
Andrea: Cut down costs.
Arnel: Wala akong choice. I have to use this. As Andrea said earlier, kung nakakabuti naman yan, kung nabibigay naman ng government natin, na nagagamit sa maayos, that’s okay.
Pero yung ikaw as a person, freelancer ka, contractor ka, it’s a big thing for you actually.
Andrea: But just like any other new law implemented, whether it’s on tax or not, I guess through the years, habang tumatagal, the people will just forget about it, learn to live with it, so yes, adapt.
Well, hindi tayo Pinoy kung hindi tayo magre-reklamo at hindi tayo magsensationalize ng mga bago.
Philippe: Was there ever a law that was put up that we Filipinos were happy about? Parang wala.
Andrea: Parang wala kasi kahit yata sa labor law mag-increase ka ng salary, magre-reklamo pa din eh.
Philippe: We’re back to square one.
Okay, let’s talk about increase of salaries just for the sake of it. I’ve talked about this way back, but I want your thoughts about this because you guys come from a different space.
Pabor ba kayo sa pagtaas ng minimum wage plus 200 pesos?
Andrea: Better than nothing.
Philippe: Yeah
Andrea: Pero sapat?
I don’t think sapat. Hindi siya sapat at all.
Philippe: Pero there’s a, I mean, there are pros and cons about it. Pagtaas ng 200 pesos, especially with minimum wages, in production, manufacturing, ang daming mag-let go ng workers.
One more thing, tataas ang production cost.
Whatever retail products we have in the groceries, tataas siya. So if you buy, let’s say, a pack of pancit canton for, let’s say, 10 pesos?
Andrea: 13?
Philippe: Pagtaasin ng 200 pesos for their workforce, expect that to be 20 pesos or 25 na. So everything goes up. Good for the economy, but ang daming mawawalan ng trabaho. I am for the 200 pesos, actually even higher.
But they have to cut taxes or cut cost. For example, taxes for companies, especially in production and manufacturing, just for them to cope up with their expenses.
Kasi kawawan na may tao. O nga, we won’t increase it for 200 pesos.
Yung 560, how much, what’s the minimum now?
564?
580?
What’s right now?
564?
Arnel: 575 maybe? Minimum?
Philippe: Minimum wage, 645 pala, sorry. So 645. If we turn it into 845 plus 200 pesos, there’s a big impact on, everyone’s gonna feel it.
Gas prices gonna go up. Retail products is gonna go up. Services is gonna go up. Contributions is gonna go up. SSS is gonna go up.
Everything is gonna go up. We’re back to square one. Exactly. But, you’re 845 na, di ba?
Arnel: Masarap lang siya pakinggan.
Andrea: Yes, yes.
Arnel: Ganong salary? Oh, 845.
Andrea: Pero kasi, if you would think about it, nataas talaga lahat. Kasi on the perspective of the business owner, tumataas yung overheads nila.
And then they’re gonna pass it on naman, di ba? Apply it to whatever services or product they’re providing. Kasi syempre, on the perspective ng business, kailangan nilang bawiin yun eh.
Arnel: But, whether magtaas, kung nasa 645 lang ngayon, pero nagtaas lahat.
Andrea: Wala din, di ba? You won’t feel it.
Arnel: Yes. If we are not in favor dun sa magtaas ng 200, magstay siya sa 645, pero nagtaas ang gasoline, nagtaas lahat ng ano, paano mahahabol ng isang…
Andrea: Make sense. Kasi, yung inflation din naman eh.Inflation is not dependent naman kung nag-increase ng salary or not.
Philippe: True
Arnel: We are talking dito sa pagtaas. But, whether we like it or not, unconsciously or maybe consciously, nagtaas na talaga.
But, ang salary natin, ang salary ng mga Pilipino, naroon pa rin. That is why marami mahirap. Kasi, hindi nila mahahabol eh.
On a daily basis ng expenses nila, sa transportation pa lang, sa electricity, sa lahat ng kanilang needs, kulang ang 645.
But the burden is, wala silang choice, bibili nila yan eh.Food yan eh. Gasoline, lahat yan. So, why not? Why not taasa ng 200?
If tataasa ng 200, then, people can afford it.
Mclaine: Another thing is, magkaiba pa ang saawd sa Manila. Province.
Mas masakit yung provincial rate.
Philippe: Speaker 2(16:37) I think provincial rate is still at 400-something.
Andrea: Kasi we’ve been to different provinces. I’m just gonna use yung province niya, cost of living, mas mahal nga yung bigas doon eh.
When you go to the wet market, we can’t believe it. Ang mahal ng isda, ang mahal ng karne, tapos, yung gasoline, mas mahal din doon.
And yet, they’re receiving provincial rate.
Arnel: Gasoline natin is 60.Papalo siya na 60. Doon sa province, sumabot ng 80.
Mclaine: Nagdedepende pa yung rate, kung gaano ka kalayo doon sa depo.Yung basian nila.
Arnel: Tapos ang daily wage nila is 400 to 500 lang. I think depende pa yata sa province.
Mclaine: Kasi sa Bulacan, 500 plus.
Arnel: I think whether sa province or sa city, okay ako sa 200.
At least, additional income ko yun. I can really beat the, di ba, kung tataas man lahat, kaya kong i-beat yun.
Andrea: Alam mo, parang may another topic na maganda dyan. Dapat parehas ba ang province? Provincial rate na sahod at ang sahod dito sa city?
Philippe: It depends on the province. If a province is, I would say, economically, kung productive siya in terms of the manufacturing, there’s manufacturing companies involved. For example, Cebu.
Andrea: Of course.
Philippe: Or in, like in Davao.
Andrea: Kung nasa key city ka lang din.
Philippe: Sort of the same though. Pero hindi ka talagang ng Luzon. We mix it.Dito yung manufacturing, dito yung warehousing, dito yung consumers, and dito lahat. So I think it’s fair enough that Luzon alone has to be slightly higher, but not too high.
So, it depends on the province.Kung province na, give me a province that’s, just a province. No, no contribution to society or the economic growth of the Philippines.
Ano ba yung province na mayroong gano’n? Diba? I think naman lahat na province mayro’n.
Mclaine: Siguro mga remote island possibly.
Philippe: Remote island.
Andrea: Probably.Pero ngayon kasi, yung mga province before na akala natin walang contribution, pagdating sa tourism, ang ganda, ang laki ng contribution.
Ang Siquijor, you will not imagine na Siquijor na siya ngayon. Siquijor today is different from Siquijor noon. Akala na pag, well, noon ka kasi lumaki sa ibang bansa. Pero hindi ko alam kung aware ka.
Pag Siquijor na, maraming mga kukulam diyan. So, hindi ko mamundahan niya. Witchcraft.Right now, hindi.
Talagang fairy walk ni Anne Curtis, ang mga tourism talaga.
Philippe: From witchcraft to Anne Curtis fairy walk.
Andrea: Yes. From diyosa na. rom witchcraft to diyosa.
Philippe: You and your witchcraft.
Arnel: I don’t know sa ibang country. Meron ba siyang…
If you are in the province, or if you are in the city, or key…May differences ba siya? May difference. May difference ba ang…
Andrea: Like sa UAE diba? Just like us. Ang daming yan.
Philippe: I’m not aware sa UAE pero somewhere like in the Middle East, around, in Jordan area. Meron. Meron. t’s only in the key cities na mataas ang wages. Pero in provinces, mababa lang. Kasi they’re not contributing to the development of the country. Karamihan desert kasi.
It’s mostly desert. What’s the desert gonna contribute? What, more heat? More sand? Wala.Tourism, yes. But not as much. Kasi dun, the country where I lived, where I grew up, more ano sila eh, agriculture ang ano nila.
So, hindi sila, they don’t manufacture, they’re more on planting, daming farms for olives. Actually, hindi lang yun eh.
Ano yung, yung mga herds of lamb. Maano sila sa lamb? Meat, poultry, hindi nga poultry, lamb, ano. So, yun ang ano nila.But, sa key cities, mas mataas talaga. So it’s the same in other countries. I’m not sure. Let’s, we have a guest here. Is it the same?
Mark: It’s the same everywhere. You know? You pay two types of taxes there. You pay federal tax and state tax.
Philippe: Right.
Andrea: So see? Two types of taxes. Dito sa Philippines, kunding tax.
Philippe: Tapos sa reklamador pa tayo. Yeah, I think as Filipinos, we complain a lot.
Andrea: We complain a lot and sometimes, we really lack understanding. We complain a lot with regards to taxes but, we compare the healthcare.
For example, we’re comparing the healthcare but we have a poor healthcare here in the Philippines. Not unlike in the US, not unlike in Canada.
But, let’s talk about their taxes. Really, really a lot more than what we, we have here in the Philippines.
Philippe: Saka in the US, it’s ano, diba? Dapat, may insurance ka. No insurance, you’re wala talaga.
Mark: Well, the thing in the US is there’s a word called hedge. So there’s a way to hedge.
So if you’re, if you’re getting taxed this much, you get to hedge it or you get to write it off. Here in the Philippines, you don’t get to write it off.
Philippe: We, we don’t get tax breaks here.
Mark: You don’t get tax breaks, you don’t get write-offs, you don’t get refunds. Right? Because, for example, me, if I donate, make a donation to any charity, charitable institution, right?
And then at the end of the year, I write that off, right? So that reduces my tax liability that after a month or so, I get a check from IRS saying that this is your refund but, you’ll be surprised. Well, it’s bigger because you’ve made such and such write-offs, right?
So, instead of paying this much percentage of tax, you get to reduce it with your, with your contributions, with your charity, you know, by writing it off. Then, you offset it. That’s the hedge for a person, not for an individual.
For a business owner, there’s a way to write things off for every movement that you have. Gas, transportation, food, whichever it is.
Philippe: Typically, the same here. We don’t have that privilege as an individual.
Andrea: Yes, you know, that’s what fascinated me Because, in the US, there’s no individual.
I’m aware if you’re a business or a company, that’s why there’s a lot of philanthropists. But, as an individual, here, there’s no such thing.
Philippe: Let’s move to the US. If you agree to… Oh, by the way, I mean, if we get, right? What’s the situation right now in the US? You go to the US, you can’t leave. Or, you can’t leave, you can’t go back. That’s it, right? Instant green card. There’s a lot of people stranded right now. There’s a lot of people stranded. This Filipino family, they’re stranded. They can’t leave. They can’t leave.
Arnel: Why, why, why?
Philippe: Trump 2.0, their immigration, Trump is cleaning their immigration list. So, it’s like, what do you call it? ICE?
So, it’s like immigration officers. Here, Bureau, BI. BI. That’s where they’re tracking So, they’re tracking down every single illegal immigrant.
Literally, illegal immigrant. Even if it’s illegal, let’s say, their child was born in the US, it’s still considered illegal.
Mark: They pull out, they deport the parents, but the ones who were born there, they keep them there. Oh my God.
Andrea: If you’re born there, automatically, God will speak right? Right, in the soil. Because that’s where you were born.
Philippe: But that’s sad. That’s bad. You can’t leave, you can’t just leave your children there.
Andrea: that’s not applied right now is the Jus Sanguinis. Just because your parents are citizens there, you also become citizens. I don’t know.
Philippe: I think, I think, at the very beginning, maybe, maybe Trump has his reasons. For me, I think that’s fine.
Because there are a lot of illegal immigrants, right?
Andrea: Pruning.
Philippe: Pruning, yeah. There are a lot of Mexicans coming here. That’s why he built that wall, right?
Mark: If you’re a taxpayer there, like you pay taxes, right?
And then, there’s a lot of persons who’s not paying taxes, but getting the same benefits for better benefits, right? So, there has to be a balance.
Philippe: Yes, yes. It’s unfair, right? Speak about benefits.I want to talk about, I don’t know, let’s, okay, same topic, but let’s jump in Dito sa Pinas, okay?
Ayuda.
Are you aware of Ayuda?
Four P’s? What does Four P’s mean?
Mark: Spanish for help.
Philippe: Yeah
Andrea: I’m not sure.
Arnel: Pantawid, Pantrabaho, para sa Pilipino.
Philippe: Again, again?
Arnel: Pantawid, Pantrabaho, para sa Pilipino.
Philippe: Mali. (25:49) Four P’s. Pahinga pera.
Pahinga pera.
That’s Four P’s. Ah, yeah, okay. hindaming haters na dito.
Andrea: Four P’s for those na hindi nagtatrabaho.
Philippe: Which, it’s typically the same kasi these illegal immigrants in the U.S. are getting the same benefits of someone paying taxes, working their asses off, okay?
It’s the same here where we, the working population doesn’t get any benefits, doesn’t get ayuda. It’s the non-working population, diba?
Andrea: Scary number din.
Philippe: I’m fine with single parent, siguro orphan na bibigyan ng pera or whatever kung may talaga ano in need or people with disabilities.
I’m fine with that. But people getting ayuda and then spending it on alcohol or whatever or gambling, exactly, sabong and all that, big no-no.
So, I would want to propose why not give ayuda to the working population? So, if you’re a hardworking guy, let’s say you’re, you have work, you provide for your family, if you qualify for these categories, you could line up and get ayuda, right?
That would force everyone to work, get off their asses and work, diba? And then, get those benefits. Win-win, right?
Andrea: budgetary allotment, gumawa ka ng livelihood. Teach men how to fish, not provide fish.
Arnel: Pero ang problem is yung nag-screens para dun sa mga mga kamag-anak nila. Yeah, qualified sa ayuda.
Andrea: Yung leader, they would get first on the list yung mga kamag-anak nila.
Arnel: Just like recently, sabi nung isang I think interview sa Facebook to eh, bakit daw siya umalis ayuda? Kasi sabi niya, isang dahon, anim kaming magwawalis.
So, I’m not sure kung hundred percent yun. Pero, technically, nangyayari yan. Totoo. Dun sa amin, sa Bulacan, so, diba, mayroong ayuda, may AICs, may TUPAD.
Yung grupo ng TUPAD, every morning, they sweep yung barangay. Certain area lang. At nandun sila lahat.
Thirty people, siguro for about hundred meters, sila lang nandun. Hindi sila nagmumove. Tapos nagkukwentuan, nagpi-picture taking, so, for documentation.
After thirty minutes to one hour, wala na sila doon.Pero, bayad?Five thousand? How much? Per head. Ang TUPAD? A month.
Arnel: That’s per month? Mclaine: Yes, per month.
Andrea: Pero, with that kind of ano, Hayahay.
Arnel: Hayahay talaga ang buhay. Tapos, yung mga nakalista doon, sila yung nakadikit sa barangay. Sila yung mga kilala sa palakasang sistem.
Mark: You guys want ayunda to be properly euthanized, right? So, in the US, there’s a thing called WICS, W-I-C-S, right? So, it stands for Women, Infant, Children.
You have S, Senior, right? If they want to roll out something like that here in the US, that’s a good idea to program.
Now, that leaves you with a big chunk, right, of an age group that are workforce, that can be part of a workforce, right?
That pays taxes, because a woman, well, an infant cannot pay taxes, a child doesn’t pay taxes, they can’t take. Seniors are retired, right?
Do they pay taxes, right? So, but women, in general, right, have to have some sort of help, right? So, the program that they rolled out, the federal program that they rolled out in the US is, once you become a resident, a legal resident, for a year, at least for a good year, 12 months, right, you get WIC, right?
These are coupons, now, that you present to the grocery store, you get free cheese, free milk, free so and so, right, what you need, sustenance, right?
Assistance, right, for a year Up until you say, oh, I can stand on my own two feet. I’m already filing taxes. I’m already paying more than $7,000 because I’m already earning that much, right? Then they take you out of that program because now you’re a taxpayer. So if they do something like that in four weeks, that’s a good thing to do. As long as it’s not politicized.
Philippe: Which is, that’s such a good idea. That’s such a good idea. It’s supposed to be a good idea.
Andrea: Proper implementation.
Philippe: And enforcing.
Mclaine: Dapat siguro magkaroon ng separate entity na mag-qualify. Kasi kung within the barangay or within the…
Philippe: It’s not going to work.
Andrea: Pero sadly, the ones being really held accountable with all of that, kahit sa tupad, sa four-piece, sino at their level, di ba? Kasi we know for a fact, COA. COA yung nasa taas na yung upper level. Pero doon sa mababang, sa barangay level, who’s holding them accountable?
Mark: Another thing with Ayuda is the source of funding. Where are they getting the source of funding? If you’re just reallocating from one source to another, just to help out whatever it is, whatever purpose it is, right?
Politico, whatever it is. But if you pull out something like for field health, for example, or for whatever it is that’s needed by somebody who… Then that’s not going to help that person.
You’re helping this person, but it doesn’t really help the majority. You’re helping maybe a few people for your personal reasons, but it’s not going to help the majority. So they have to have a balance.
Andrea: And sadly, yung mga workforce, yun yung nagbubuo ng taxes to have funds. Pero workforce yung nga-apectuhan and then people na nag-aayuda, hayahay.
They continue to live easy life pa. And I don’t know, familiar kayo perhaps, yung babae sa Makati, sa Estero, binigyan ng 80,000 pesos.
Mclaine: Just because yung mababasya doon.
Andrea: Yes. I do not get it. Okay, sige, pweding tulungan kung nakita nila talaga na kailangan tulungan. Pero why 80,000?
Tsaka bakit ang bilis?
Arnel: PR. Pino-buy na nila yung business. f you’re going to research on the timeline, all of their lives doon sila sa ilalim. All of a sudden, bibigyan mo ng business. How can they handle the business?
Mclaine: And after maubos yung 80,000, the back of the scale.
Arnel: I mean the common principle ng Pilipino, okay, walang benta, sige, tayo nalang kakain ito. So hindi nag-generate the income. Saan niya ilalagay yung business niya? Sino ang mga consumers niya? Sino ang bibigyan niya? Unless she will be turned into a vlogger and mag-famous siya.So mag-earn siya.
But I mean, yeah, cigarettes, sardinas, they’re just going to consume it rather than selling it. Wala silang business mindset. So for example, rather than providing them business, provide them with yung kailangan. Like if you have children, okay, pakarali namin yung children niya.
But we will not give you the money.Just we will support your kids. That is the problem.Pero business-wise, I don’t think so. Kasi Pilipino naman, I mean the common, hindi naman tayo talaga trained sa business.
Mark: If it’s a government-initiated program, right, the root cause there is it’s for the benefit of the politician, not for the economy.
Andrea: Politically motivated.
Mclaine: Usually. Ganyan ang nangyayari sa atin.
Andrea: So the money will go down the drain. Literally.
Philippe: Literally.Literally. Literally. It goes down to the drain. Man, I need you here regularly. You’re good with stuff like this. Especially you can compare what the US has. Exactly.
Ibang continent.Kasi we’re comparing like superpower, US, and then third world. Anong tawag? We’re not called third world anymore. Although it’s still ano. Ano tayo? Development.
Andrea: Kasi people in the Philippines, the government in particular, must think, US might have done something right. US might have done something correct. For them to be able to acquire that kind of power. World power na tinatawag. And perhaps Filipinos are not working hard enough. Particularly the government.
Mark: The question is, how many people here really know the constitution by far? Or at least are aware of the idea of the constitution? Because the constitution was written for the people, by the people.
So if you know the constitution, then you know the rights. Amendments are made because of your rights. But if somebody’s grappling on my rights, then I go back to the constitution and say, Hey, you know what? These are my rights. I have a right to bear arms. I have a right to do such and such.
So if somebody says, Oh, it’s free speech. Somebody’s grappling on my free speech. Because, you know, when I gag or something like that. Then I know what programs that should be rolled up based on whatever legal procedures that I have that applies to me. So you can get it.
Arnel: That’s the problem because that’s why politicians are taking advantage of this. Because walang knowledge. They can easily deceive. I mean, any one of them can easily deceive people. Because walang knowledge. Or perhaps may knowledge may tayo but we are not the majority. We don’t have a voice here.
Mark: You want to see the difference between the US superpower and the phobians, right? People are heard and politicians have to follow. Here it’s vice versa. Unfortunately.
Arnel: Unfortunately, yeah.
Mark: They can cite you in contempt for whatever it is, right? We need a congressional hearing. They can cite you in contempt or want to get up against a politician.
But then if you know your constitution, if you know your rights, then you have a chance of fighting back.
Philippe: And you want to do a quick survey? Out of us five, do you know the constitution of the Philippines?
100%. Not even, 10%? 10%.
Mark: Do we even know? (8:57) No. (8:59) Who wrote the Philippine constitution?
Philippe: So it starts with us. 0%. Don’t know shit about it.
Mark: Then Pimentel, the father of Pimentel was one of those who rewrote the constitution after 1906. Because Marcos jumped the constitution by declaring martial law. So there’s a five pages report that was put in place. Pretty much negated a lot of things, right?
Then after he got ousted, new administration, then they imposed new revised constitutional amendments that was amenable to them, not to the court.
Andrea: Yeah, that’s the problem really. Politically motivated pa din. Kasi each time that a new administration would sit, they try to amend the constitution.
Mark: For the record, I’m not the right person to be.
Philippe: Yeah, we need a lawyer. We need a lawyer, right? Kailangan natin lawyer dito.
Mark: Besides a good talent.
Philippe: Good thing you’re in the Philippines. You’re not even showing. Anong mukha ko na? They don’t even know.
His name is Mark, by the way. No face video.
Arnel: No face ala.
Mclaine: Good point, Mark. Faceless podcaster.
Arnel: But the question is. I also have AI.
Philippe: AI, oh. One of our AI. Yes. We’re good at it.
Arnel: That’s why he’s good. Because of AI. So, yeah.
Andrea: The viewers will ask, face reveal, Phillip. Face reveal of Mark? Yeah, yeah.
Sir Phillip, face reveal of your AI.
Philippe: Let me generate one. Let me generate one.
Mark: The baby one. The baby one.
Mclaine: But I’m not sure kung, siguro, that’s another point siguro sa atin sa Pilipinas. I guess dapat ibalik or ituro yung constitution ng Pilipinas. Sa US, I think tinuturo.
Andrea: It should be instilled. In the young minds.
Philippe: Do they teach it in public schools?
Andrea: Probably in high school, passing lang. Pero as young as elementary, it should be instilled.
Mclaine: Even the history books. Ang daming questionable na sinabi na mali yung sinunat about somebody else, about somebody else do this, did that.
Andrea: It’s always biased, depending on the author.
Mark: Yeah, you can do that, right? You can go to a public library in the US, right? And then you can get a pamphlet, the constitution of the United States. A pamphlet.
I wish they’d do something like that here. Any public library or any library for that matter has to have at least a hundred pieces of a pamphlet that, you know, of the constitution of the Philippines. For at least, then at least have a hundred people within that community that knows at least the basics.
Mclaine: Had a coffee. At at least. Parang maganda yan.
Arnel: I have a friend in the US who is a pastor. (They have it printed in their nabahin. Actually, there’s a website about it.
Philippe: Official gazette.
Mclaine: Yeah, gazette.
Philippe: Yung gazette. Nandito.
Andrea: Yeah, we have. Pero people are trading it.
Mclaine: Ako, I only visit it pag meron lang na-discuss.
Andrea: Siguro, no, rather than doing some fancy celebrations each time ng Independence Day ng June 12, why not make a campaign? You know, educate people. Do publish.
Yeah, make it available. Yeah, that’s our next thing. I’m gonna study this. And then we can make good stuff out of this.
Mclaine: Kasi even yung mga recently, yung mga nagiging issue with FRRD, nagba-violate sila ng constitution, si General Torrey, not knowing na tinanggalan si former president ng right.
So, imagine those people na higher ranking na. So, ngayon. May lack of understanding. Oo, may lack of understanding. Probably, alam niya, yung rights ni former president, pero since merong uto sa taas.
Andrea: In override.
Mclaine: Yes. It’s overwritten with ch-ching! I don’t know. I’m sorry. Pero…
Mclaine: Yeah, that’s the problem with our country. Rooted kasi tayo ng corruption. Because of corruption, they can easily change. When money talks. It could be, kasi kung if our country is very serious with that, nasa education system dapat yan. Kasi it will start sa mga bata.
Educating them that this is the reality. This is our country. This is our right. But, by the yung books itself, yung system itself, wala tayong gano’n eh. Wala tayong, even if you ask kids right now when is the Independence Day, hindi nila alam yun.
Mark: You don’t even need to teach them about the Constitution. Just print it on the frickin’ back cover of the book. That’s it. The cover, the front and back cover. Diba? So, you have the parata mga ka-fine on one side then you have the mga kaginihan on one side. Then have another page at least, right?
That’s printed there. Small letters. Something as a reference, right? As they grow up. For the next five years, from first grade to sixth grade, these kids when they grow up and reading that, then they know it at least half of it.
Andrea: Right, right. At least it should be made available. It can be a decree, no? That all of the schools have printed Constitution doon sa bulletin board nila or elsewhere sa school that would be available for public.
Mark: Yeah, there’s FOI. You know, the Information Act, right? So, it should be.
Andrea: Yeah, and then like for private schools, they are giving out handbooks. Maybe it can be embedded dun sa handbook. Not just the law or rules for the school.Include mo yung Constitution.
Mark: You don’t have to be a lawyer to read. It’s just reading. It’s just for comprehension, right?
You don’t have to map it or to correct. You just need to know what your rights are.
Andrea: Maybe kahit Filipino yung mga first few lines na yung right for to live sa life mo, to have education, safety, yung medical care. Hindi nga nila alam yun. Perhaps.
Yung pinag-uusapan naman ating Constitution hindi naman as if yung buo, no? Na talagang kadulung-duluhan na article dapat alam mo, yung basic right mo as a Filipino, you should know that.
Mas alam pa yata nila yung, ang alam ata lang ng Pilipino is, ano, right for privacy, ganon.
Arnel: I remember when we were young, di ba, yung sa school natin dati, meron yung sa last page, sa cover, sa likod. Meron daw panatang mga bayan nakalagay. Before.
Mclaine: Before. Ngayon wala na? Before.
Arnel: Ngayon wala na. So that’s why we remember as you grow, memorise mo siya eh. Kasi, before, yung flag ceremony, yung sa likod, sa front page, meron siya nakasulat eh.
Andrea: Oy, even yung panatang mga bayan, narevise na.
Arnel: Narevise na din.
Andrea: Iba na ngayon.
Mark: Age reveal here now.
Andrea: Yes. Oo nga. Kasi, yeah,
Arnel: I’m 40.
Andrea: Noong bata ka pa?
Andrea: Well, bata pa kasi ako. So, I cannot relate.
Arnel: I’m 43. I’m 43, so.
Philippe: Okay, I think, I think we’re good. I think you guys have an appointment at 6, so, yeah, we’re good.
