BIR overhauls top ranks, taps new head for large taxpayers unit
By Jun Ramirez
BIR Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. (center)
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui, Jr. ordered a major personnel overhaul, affecting 16 key posts across the agency’s regional offices.
The most significant change is the appointment of Southern Metro Manila Regional Director Edgar B. Tolentino as the new head of the Large Taxpayers Service (LTS).
Tolentino succeeds Assistant Commissioner Jethro Sabariaga, who reportedly took early retirement for health reasons.
The LTS is the BIR’s crucial collection unit, exclusively auditing the nation's top corporations and typically accounting for about 70 percent of the agency's total annual collection.
Other reassignments included the transfer of Regional Directors Dante E. Tan from Caloocan City to South Metro Manila, Emmanuel S. Ferrer from Pampanga to Caloocan City, Mary Jane B. Asuncion from the Negros Island Region to the Bicol Region, and Christine Juliet R. Chua from the Bicol Region to Eastern Visayas.
Additionally, three Assistant Regional Directors were promoted to Director roles: Sa'Aduddin I. Macarambon for Koronadal City, Franklin M. Tabaquin, Jr. for Zamboanga City, and Helen T. Abellanosa for Cagayan de Oro City.
These positions collectively generate more than 80 percent of the BIR’s total annual collections.
The BIR has consistently met its monthly revenue targets recently and is aiming to raise at least ₱3.2 trillion in revenues this year. However, some analysts caution that the bureau could still face a significant collection shortfall due to recent natural calamities and the impact of alleged flood control project anomalies.
Lumagui attributed the bureau’s strong performance to enhanced enforcement, digitalization initiatives, and the implementation of new tax measures, including the value-added tax on digital services.