FAMILIAR FACE | Marcos, who has unpaid estate taxes, appoints godson as BIR chief

November 15, 2022 , 06:31 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(November 15, 2022) – President Bongbong Marcos Jr. has promoted a tax lawyer, who is also his godson, as the commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the Malacañang said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) said Romeo Lumagui Jr. has already taken his oath as BIR chief. He will be replacing Lilia Guillermo who was appointed just last June. He previously served as deputy commissioner of the agency.

Lumagui also held various posts in the BIR, such as a technical assistant to the commissioner and tax fraud head for revenue regions in Manila, Pampanga, and east National Capital Region.

The OPS, which is headed by Cheloy Garafil, also noted that Lumagui headed several task forces to boost the tax collections of the BIR, including one on assets recovery where they collected P833.69 million. He also led a task force on direct selling/multi-level marketing and investment scams where they assessed 792.56 million.

“The tax lawyer has also been designated to the project management and implementation service, which develops and oversees the implementation of the overall reform or modernization program of the BIR,” said the OPS.

Lumagui’s wife, Atty. Carmela Esquivias, has worked for M & Associates, the law firm founded by first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, since 2019.

Marcos and his wife were also principal sponsors in the wedding of Lumagui and Esquivias. The latter couple joined the campaign trail of Marcos, according to business news site Bilyonaro.

It remains to be seen how Lumagui will act on the unpaid estate taxes of the Marcoses. Their liability initially amounted to P23 billion but it has been estimated to have now reached P203 billion due to surcharges and penalties over the past decades.

Last March, the BIR confirmed that it has sent demand letters to the Marcoses several times to settle their liability.

Last June, Guillermo told the ABS-CBN News Channel that the BIR will review the matter and collect the unpaid estate taxes from the Marcoses if the case has already been deemed final and executory.

It was already ruled with finality by the Supreme Court in 1999, but Marcos said he wants the case to be reopened, claiming that they had “no chance to answer” when it first came to light. This claim has been debunked in fact-checks by various news organizations.

“When this case came out, we were all in the United States,” Marcos said in an interview with actress-host Toni Gonzaga last September. “So when it was the time for us to answer, we had no chance to answer. Now, we are all here. Open the case, and let us argue it.”

Marcos has said the BIR should improve its tax collections to help spur the economy. He was convicted of tax evasion in 1995.

(PM)

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