New BIR Exec First Quip: “Where would I be assigned?”

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

ALAMINOS CITY – The newly promoted Officer-in-Charge Revenue District Office-5 Chief based here only knew that she was plucked to the top post while driving her car.

“Hello Charmaine, congrats RDO ka na!,” excitedly quipped recently at her mobile phone by Tarlac City’s RDO-Chief Christine Cardona, the former boss in BIR Central Pangasinan of the newly promoted OIC-RDO-5 Chief Charmaine C. dela Torre.

The first pose of dela Torre to her former superior was where she would be assigned.

“Where am I going to be assigned? 

EXECUTIVES - Revenue District Office Chiefs Charmaine dela Torre (left) of Western Pangasinan and Lawyer Maria Isabele Utit Eastern Pangasinan donate some of their blood to the needy during the bloodletting ceremony at the office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.

She told Northern Watch Newspaper that her car did not bump the century old acacia trees that remained uncut located inside the stretched of Urdaneta City’s highway upon hearing the breaking information that her name was included at the Revenue Travel Assignment Order (RTAO) for the prestigious position.

RDO position is one of the highest posts in the tax agency.

Dela Torre, whose last assignment was Assistant Revenue District Office Chief of the one city and fifteen towns Eastern Pangasinan credited the overwhelming collection of revenue she and her RDO-Chief CPA-Lawyer Maria Isabel B. Utit chalked up last year.

"Our total 2017 collection was 1.891 billion which yielded a 38.07 percent growth rate and 14.58 percent versus goal. For the past  five years, the average growth rate of RDO-6 Urdaneta was only around 7 percent," she cited.

Because of the almost phenomenal collection on top of the P1.65 billion target, RDO-6 led the other five revenue district offices in Region-1.

Dela Torre cited the huge collection was due to the construction boom that is undergoing in Urdaneta City and the increases of the newly imposed zonal valuation of land in Pangasinan approved by the bureau’s central office last second half of 2017.

“Last year talagang overwhelming ang performance namin ni Maam Utit”.

 She also said that her educational attainment, seminars she attended, and performance reports have helped her climb the totem pole of heading the one city nine towns’ Western Pangasinan.

Her data matrix showed that she got a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City where she graduated cum laude, hurdled the tough board examination of the Certified Public Account, wiggled to have a Master in Business Administration, and topped the examination given to executives of the BIR in Region-1 in 1998.

Despite all the accomplishment, the soft-spoken OIC RDO-Chief did not expect that 2018 will be a banner year for her.

“No, no, no! I just performed. I have to give my all and success will follow,” she said about her mantra that hard works will pay off someday.