DOF files charges vs BOC, BIR officers for SALN violations

MANILA, Philippines -  The government continues to unearth violations in the filing of the statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN) among revenue officials, the Department of Finance’s anti-corruption unit said yesterday.

The DOF’s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) filed before the Office of the Ombudsman complaints against Jose Paras Dimatulac, operations officer at the Bureau of Customs and Noviemae Singson, a revenue officer of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), for allegedly providing misleading information in their sworn SALNs.

In its 11-page complaint against Dimatulac, RIPS alleged that he provided inaccurate information in his SALNs regarding particular real and personal properties.

RIPS said Dimatulac’s SALNs filed for the years 2001 to 2010 showed that he acquired through installments his house and lot in Parañaque City in 1992.

However, RIPS found out that the same real property was actually a subject of a deed of donation on June 10, 1992 between the respondent and spouses Artemio and Lucia Diaz.

Dimatulac, who hails from San Fernando, Pampanga, also declared in his SALNs that he acquired through inheritance a residential lot in Pampanga sometime in 2003.

However, the San Fernando City Treasurer’s Office verified in a May 30, 2012 certification that there were no such records of real property and business tax payments made by Dimatulac.

Furthermore, Dimatulac also left out in his SALNs his spouse’s one-story commercial building located along Ninoy Aquino Ave. in Parañaque City.

RIPS, in its complaint, also questioned Dimatulac’s apparent lack of necessary educational qualifications as Customs operations officer, which, based on BOC’s position description form, required a bachelor’s degree.

“Taking into consideration these ineluctable facts, it cannot be said that respondent’s duplicity with regard to his qualifications for the position of Customs Operations Officer III caused undue prejudice to the government, as the appointment of another candidate who possesses the requisite qualifications is more preferable and proper under the circumstances,” RIPS stated.

The complaint against Singson on the other hand, showed that the respondent declared only three parcels of land in Cagayan province.

However, RIPS found out that there were actually four parcels of land registered under her name: two cornlands, a fruitland and a residential lot.

Moreover, Singson’s 2010 and 2011 SALNs indicated that she acquired allegedly through sale a conjugal house and lot in Manila for P900,000.

A concerned citizen, however, through the “Pera ng Bayan” website, furnished the Finance Department a copy of the contract to sell referring to the same property that actually fetched a much higher price of P3.4 million.

Singson also allegedly failed to declare some properties in her 2010 and 2011 SALNs, consisting of a 2009 house and lot in San Juan, Manila; a 2009 parcel of land in Cagayan; and a residential house and lot in the same province.

“Respondent, dubiously, was able to acquire several valuable properties despite her modest income during her tenure in government service. Be it noted that it is only in 2008 that respondent got married, her husband is also a government employee and they do not have any other source of income, business interest or financial connection,” RIPS said in its complaint.