Actor Piolo Pascual did not hold back when asked about corruption in the Philippines, expressing frustration over how taxpayers’ money is allegedly being misused.
Speaking to the press after the advanced screening of his new film ‘The Ride’ with Kyle Echarri at SM Aura on September 14, Pascual said it is painful to pay taxes knowing they often end up funding luxury goods and foreign trips for corrupt officials.
“Kaya nga napakasakit ‘di ba? Mayroon akong back tax na kailangan kong bayaran, hindi ko mabayaran kasi parang pambibili lang naman nila ng luxury goods, pangbibiyahe lang naman nila. Hindi… joke lang! Pero you have to abide,” Pascual said, laughing, before turning serious.
He admitted that he chooses not to dwell on where his taxes go because it only adds to his frustration.
“Hindi ko na lang iniisip. Kasi kapag iniisip mo pa kung saan napupunta ‘yung binabayad mong tax… para hindi ako mapikon,” he explained.
The actor, one of the country’s top celebrity taxpayers, emphasized that he continues to pray for accountability in government.
“You cannot point fingers right now but I’ve been praying about it, na sana mapanagot talaga ‘yung kailangang managot para magkaroon naman tayo ng confidence sa gobyerno natin at sa bansa natin,” he said.
Pascual also had a direct message for those involved in corruption: “Sana magkaroon ng hiya ‘yung mga taong involved kasi nakakahiya. Sana makonsensiya sila. Saan ka ba dadalhin ng pera mo? ‘Yung sapat ay sapat na. Huwag mo nang nakawan ‘yung taong naghihirap na nga, hahayaan mo pang maghirap pa lalo. Magkaroon tayo ng konsensya, ‘yun ang ibig kong sabihin.”
‘The Ride’, Pascual’s latest collaboration with Echarri after the political drama ‘Pamilya Sagrado’, opens in cinemas nationwide on September 24.
