BIR regional head mum on boss’ nomination to SC

Director Arnel Guballa

By Mortz C. Ortigoza CALASIAO – The regional director of the Bureau of Internal Revenue adopted a wait- and- see attitude on Commissioner Kim J. Henares’s getting appointed as chief justice. Director Arnel Guballa, a lawyer said he had no idea who will get the high tribunal’s high post. He opined that there is movement among other nominees’ interest for the high post but he is not privy about his boss chance to be appointed. Meanwhile, Guballa is more optimistic about the collection performance of BIR Region -1 compared to its record in the last two years. He said that he is bullish because of the trillion-peso infrastructure projects by the government and the forthcoming national election next year. “The economy will be pumped prime by the election next year, then we will see the end result,” he stressed in Filipino. He said Region 1 is doing well despite the average of 20 percent increase given to him by the national government despite the country’s Gross National Product that averages only to 5 percent to 6 percent. He cited that the GNP of the region averages at 10 percent only. “But if you compare it to the actual economy of the country modesty, the region is doing good,” he said. BIRRegion-1 last year has a tax goal of P6, 526,186,000.00 while it has been given a modified tax target of P7, 426,186,000 this year from the original P7, 303,826,000.00 by the BIR in Manila. Meanwhile, Assistant Revenue District Office Charmaine dela Torre said the tax goal for fiscal year 2012 of Revenue District Office-4, the biggest RDO in Northern Luzon, is almost P2.3 billion instead of the P2.6 billion reported recently on this paper.