In an unprecedented move, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has promoted en masse 57 key officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), making their assignments permanent.
They included all four deputy commissioners and their assistants as well as 24 regional directors and their assistants.
BIR old-timers said it was the first time in the bureau's 118-year history, and perhaps in the entire bureaucracy, that top executives were promoted en masse.
Revenue Commissioner Lilia Catris Guillermo said Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno requested the President for the mass promotion in appreciation for the services rendered by the revenuers in exceeding the collection targets for the last two years and the first eight months of 2022 despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Records showed that the bureau raised more than P1.5 trillion from January to August this year which was P170 billion higher compared to the actual take for the same period last year.
In an executive order, the President had declared vacant all important positions in the government as of the end of the year.
As a result, officials from other government offices like the Bureau of Customs are seeking individually for their retention or promotion.
Summing-up the sentiment of his colleagues after the mass oath taking ceremony conducted by Guillermo, South NCR Revenue Regional Director Jethro Sabariaga said they were glad that the new administration gave them the opportunity to continue working and raise more funds to support the government's economic and social programs.