Philippine President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has tapped Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Assistant Governor and former Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Deputy Commissioner Lilia C. Guillermo to head the tax collection agency.
“Her strong background in IT (information technology) and her almost four decades of service at the BIR complements the President-elect’s objective of boosting the country’s revenue through efficient tax collection,” incoming press secretary Rose Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles said in a statement.
Ms. Guillermo heads the BSP Technology and Digital Innovation Office, and is in charge of managing the BSP’s IT Modernization Roadmap.
She was also credited with implementing the Philippines tax computerization project at the BIR and Bureau of Customs (BoC), Ms. Cruz-Angeles said.
Tax lawyer Romeo Lumagui Jr. has been chosen as deputy commissioner for operations at the BIR, Ms. Cruz-Angeles said.
Mr. Lumagui, a tax lawyer, had also served as the regional investigation chief of Revenue Region No. 7B East NCR.
In December, the tax agency had sent a written demand to the Marcos family to settle their unpaid estate tax, which has ballooned to more than P200 billion due to interest.
The Marcos camp has not answered questions regarding the issue.
Mr. Marcos last month said the economy will languish if the government’s main revenue collection agencies, such as the BIR and the BoC, would not be fixed.
“It’s very, very important and we have to at the very least reduce the corrosive influence of corruption in government as a general rule,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos has picked Ricardo de Leon, a former police official, as head of the National Intelligence Agency (NICA).
Mr. de Leon currently heads the Philippine Public Safety College, an educational institution for all police, fire, and jail personnel. – Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza