Aquino pledges to protect employees from exploitative corporations

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on Sunday said he would help protect cooperatives from exploitative corporations who use them to evade paying taxes. “Poprotektahan kayo ng gobyerno sa mga korporasyong ginagamit kayo para makaiwas lamang sa buwis. Susuportahan naming ang mga panukalang nagpapalakas sa kooperatiba upang mapanatili ang tapat na paglilingkod para sa nakararami," the President said in his speech before the 10th National Cooperative Summit. (The government will protect you from corporations that deceive and use you so that they can dodge from paying taxes. We will support measures that would strengthen cooperatives.) Aquino said there will be a system of dialogue between the government and cooperatives. “Palalakasin po natin ang mga kooperatiba bilang bahagi ng ating pagpapalakas sa ating ekonomiya. Wala pong dapat na maiwan sa pag-unlad. Isulong natin ang diwang gumagabay sa kooperatiba. Gawin nating tagumpay ng mamamayan ang tagumpay ng mga kooperatiba," he said. (As a driver of economic growth, we will fortify all cooperatives. No one should be left behind. We will push for the vision that would unite cooperatives. Let’s make the success of cooperatives the success of every Filipino.) Aquino said he wanted to continue the advocacy of his late mother, former President Corazon Aquino — people empowerment through microfinance and cooperative-based activities. Cooperatives are the government’s partners in ensuring a fair and progressive society and he wants them to benefit from the economic growth under his administration, he pointed out. Aquino said he has supported the cooperatives since he was a lawmaker by supporting bills for this sector. –VVP, GMANews.TV