Change is coming at BIR?

The new Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) chief Charlito Martin Mendoza has a lot of cleaning up to do in an agency that is perennially hounded by corruption issues.

- IRIS GONZALES

A lawmaker dubbed it as the second most corrupt government agency, next to the DPWH.

The good thing going for Mendoza is that he is starting on a strong footing amid optimism from the business community.

For one, the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines Foundation Inc. (SEIPI), which accounts for a significant 35 percent of the country’s electronics exports, expressed its unequivocal support for the appointment of Mendoza.

“Mendoza brings extensive experience... With a strong foundation in fiscal policy, public administration and institutional reform coupled with his integrity and proven leadership, he is well-positioned to lead the BIR.”

This is not surprising, given his background, seemingly tailor-made for the BIR’s systemic issues.

His stint as undersecretary of the Department of Finance for Revenue Operations provided critical, high-level policy exposure, particularly on complex tax collection issues.

This must have given him a broad view of the interconnectedness of economic shifts and the crucial coherence between policy and operations.

Prior to this, he served at the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu from 2019 to 2022, where he led the district at a critical time, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

With this, he surely knows the realities on the ground when it comes to corruption, often synonymous with collection agencies such as the BOC and the BIR.

This combination of policy and operational experience is precisely what the BIR needs to transition from purely punitive enforcement to a system focused on efficiency and fairness.