If House Speaker Martin Romualdez would have his way, he would impose a one-strike policy against collectors of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) who fail to meet their target revenues.

“I will recommend to President (Ferdinand "Bongbong") Marcos (Jr.) a one-strike policy against collectors who will miss their target revenues,” Romualdez saidin a statement Sunday, Feb. 26.

Romualdez said such policy would help ensure additional funds for targeted subsidies, hospitalization, education, job creation, and other social protection programs for the most vulnerable sectors of society.

“The one strike-strike policy is a key step towards achieving our revenue goals. Kailangan natin ang dagdag na pondo para sa mga ayuda, libreng pang-ospital, edukasyon, transportasyon, paglikha ng mga trabaho sa pamamagitan ng infrastructure projects at iba pang mga programa na makakatulong sa taong-bayan (We need additional funds for subsidies, free hospitalization, education, transportation, creation of jobs through infrastructure projects and other programs that will help our countrymen)," he said.

He noted that the inability of concerned BIR and BOC collectors to meet their revenue goals has been compromising the government’s budget for agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, and other priorities.

To remedy the situation, he suggested that collectors who fail to meet their revenue targets should be removed from their position and replaced by competent individuals to ensure inefficiency in the administration of tax collection.

“Let us help the government meet its revenue targets. I hope our call will send a clear message for our collectors to perform at the highest level,” Romualdez said.

“Taxes are the lifeblood of government in the implementation of pro-poor programs designed to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality. It is of vital importance in the government’s effort to provide access to better education, healthcare, and social protection programs,” added the Leyte 1st district representative.

On the part of House, Romualdez said will also exercise its oversight function to monitor the performance of various departments and agencies in the implementation of policies and programs under their respective mandates.

“We will monitor and evaluate the performance of government agencies. The House of Representatives is committed to working with the government to ensure stable finances for the sustained and efficient implementation of various important projects,” the Speaker said.