Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui, Jr. has been recognized with a prestigious leadership award for his remarkable efforts in promoting good governance and achieving unprecedented tax collection results. The award was presented by the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership, led by former Senator Bam Aquino and Harvey Keh, chairman and lead convenor, respectively, during a modest ceremony held at the B Hotel in Quezon City. Lumagui was commended for his outstanding record-breaking performance in tax collection since assuming leadership of the government's foremost tax collection arm in November 2022. According to official records, Lumagui's efforts yielded over P841 billion in the first four months of this year, surpassing the target by P14.3 billion and exceeding the previous year's collection for the same period by nearly P99 billion. Established in 2008 by notable local government leaders, including the late Jesse Robredo, the Kaya Natin! Movement aims to promote effective, ethical, and empowering leadership. Lumagui attributed the success of the tax collection campaign to various factors, including significant improvements in taxpayer services, digital transformation, upholding integrity and professionalism, as well as vigorous enforcement activities. Under Lumagui's leadership, the BIR initiated a series of operations against illicit vape and cigarette traders, resulting in the filing of numerous tax evasion charges and the recovery of approximately P46 billion in lost revenue. Additionally, Lumagui took a firm stance against the use of ghost receipts, a sophisticated tax evasion scheme that caused a loss of over P900 billion pesos over the course of two decades. Insiders noted that this marked the first time the bureau launched a comprehensive crackdown against such malpractices. To ensure accountability, Lumagui also pursued cases against corrupt BIR employees involved in fraudulent activities, including the manipulation of point-of-sale machines, which resulted in a loss of more than P6 billion for the government. Expressing gratitude for the recognition bestowed upon him, Lumagui pledged to continue implementing reforms within the BIR to transform the agency into an efficient and highly effective tax collection powerhouse for the government.