Amid allegations of plunder implicating the head of the country’s biggest tax-collection agency, the House leadership will investigate officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez told the Inquirer yesterday.
The Inquirer also learned that the BIR is conducting an internal investigation in light of the plunder case filed before the Ombudsman against Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay and 17 other officials and personnel for allegedly reducing the tax liabilities of Del Monte Philippines Inc. such that the government lost P29 billion in potential revenues.
Sought for comment, Dulay told the Inquirer in a text message that he “will be coming out with a statement soon” to answer the allegations.
Alvarez said the lower house would look into the allegation. “We’ll look at the documents first” before the House of Representatives starts an inquiry, Alvarez added.
A source told the Inquirer that the House Speaker was preparing a resolution to investigate Dulay and other top officials not only for the case involving Del Monte Philippines but also for alleged irregularities in its actions and the cases filed against homegrown cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp., which allegedly used fake tax stamps to evade payment of billions in excise taxes, as soon as Congress resumes its session later this month.
According to reports, taxpayer Danilo Lihaylihay last month filed a plunder case before the Ombudsman against Dulay and 17 other BIR executives, including Dulay’s chief of staff Gaudencio Mendoza Jr., who allegedly allowed Del Monte to pay only P65.4 million for taxable years 2011 to 2013 despite the assessment for the three years reaching P30 billion in supposed tax deficiency liabilities.
At the BIR, documents showed that Deputy Commissioner Jesus Clint O. Aranas issued show-cause orders to 12 revenue personnel, namely, Ofelia Yumang, Ruby Villanueva, Fatima Sarrosa, Exzaida Comentan, Lourdes Liwanag, Belinda Balagtas, Amelia Molinos, Noemi Castro, Cheryl Ann Adapon, Ramoncito Ona, Edralin Silario and Catalina Benedicto.
When sought for confirmation, Aranas told the Inquirer that he issued the show-cause orders after the case before the Ombudsman surfaced “so they can justify their actions for our evaluation.”
“It will give them due process so they can answer back before an administrative case may be filed against them,” Aranas explained yesterday.
According to Aranas, the internal investigation was “not a witch hunt.”
“We’re trying to understand the circumstances and how the examiners’ conclusions were arrived at based on the BIR case dockets,” Aranas added.
After the inquiry of the BIR’s internal investigation division, those found liable would be directed to the personnel adjudication division, which would decide after a hearing if the erring personnel would be dismissed, suspended or if the case would be closed, according to Aranas.
As for Dulay and Mendoza, Aranas said he could not investigate them because they were his superiors.
A letter to President Duterte in May by the Tax Informers Network Inc. asked the President to prosecute for plunder, through conspiracy and connivance, Dulay, Mendoza and Assistant Commissioner Teresita Mendoza of the Large Taxpayers Service, among others.