EVAT ka ng ina mo!

Opposition congressman, Francis "Chiz" Escudero summed it all up when he said that the Supreme Court's TRO on the EVAT was basically a "tagumpay ng sambayanan...napatunayan lang ng TRO na dagdag pasakit lamang ang evat at tama ang pagsalungat nila dito... hinihiling din nila na ideklarang unconstitutional ang e-vat at gawin ng permanente ang injunction against dito...umaasa rin si Cong. Escudero na magsisimula ng magroll back ang mga presyo ng bilihin lalo na sa petrolyo ngayong may tro na laban sa evat."

The Supreme Court's decision to indefinitely suspend the implementation of the EVAT is definitely commendable. This only proves there is still justice in this banana republic of ours. Its certainly makes one hopeful to know that there are still patriots among the SC justices, 13 to be exact, who voted to implement the TRO. Sad to say and baffling as well were the 2 dissenting opinions against it: Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. himself as well as Justice Reynato Puno.

"The Court further resolved, by a vote of 13 - 2, to issue a TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER, effective immediately and contuining until further orders from this Court, enjoining respondents Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita, Secretary of Finance Cesar Purisima and Commission on Internal Revenue Guillermo Parayno Jr., from enforcing and implementing Republic Act No. 9337, otherwise known as the "Expanded Value-Added Tax Act of 2005", Revenue Regulation No. 14-2005 and/or any such other implementing rules and regulations."

I can only picture the happy response of the public for now.

What's unbelievable was the reaction from the Palace through Department of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima:

"We are very disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision to suspend the implementation of the vat. It is one that caught us by surprise. Rest assured the executive branch will work for the immediate removal of the suspension. This law is of great importance to our fiscal reform program. The tro will cost the government P 4-5 billion monthly (P130 to 165 million daily) in lost revenues which can result to a serious setback in our fiscal consolidation program. We are going to appeal this with the Supreme Court first thing monday morning."

Imagine the temerity of this guy to even threaten us on what will happen just because the EVAT was stopped. I hope karma will get this guy and his ilk someday. Tha'ts just about the nicest thing that I can say about this official...