Customs police exec, 3 BIR officials face charges

MANILA, Philippines - A Customs police official, three internal revenue officials and an employee of the Department of Finance (DOF) have been criminally and administratively charged with various offenses.

The DOF’s  Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) filed the cases before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Rogelio Ilaga Rabanal, deputy district commander of the Customs Police District-Enforcement and Security Service at the Port of Batangas, was charged for failing to file his 2009 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Rabanal was also found to have failed to declare a parcel of land in Ilocos Norte in his SALN prior to 2003 when the deed of absolute sale showed that he already owned the land as early as 1998.

Rabanal also did not declare in any of his SALNs his ownership of several firearms.

RIPS asked the Office of the Ombudsman to dismiss Rabanal from the service for violating the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service and  Republic Acts 3019 and 6713, as well as the Revised Penal Code.

Ricardo Batungbakal Espiritu, South Makati chief revenue officer, was found to have failed to declare several parcels of agricultural land, residential land and a building in Bulacan in his SALN.  

He also did not declare his wife’s 50 percent business interest in a certain Esmont Realty Corp.

Espiritu declared the Jun Encarnacion Salon for Men & Women in Iba, Meycauayan, Bulacan as belonging to his wife in SALNs up to 2011.

Investigation showed that Espiritu and his family failed to pay property taxes on a lot in Palawan and had traveled abroad.

Albert Benedicto Alocilja, Tacloban City revenue regional director, failed to declare several properties in his SALNs, particularly a residential lot in M.H. del Pilar St. 

Another residential lot purchased in 1986 was not disclosed in his 1995 to 1998 SALNs.  

A house in Tacloban City acquired in 1987 was not reflected in his SALNs prior to 2005.     

Alocilja also failed to declare a second-hand car and his ownership of several firearms.

Fritz Sarad Buendia, Valenzuela City assistant revenue district officer, was found to have purchased a house and lot in Pangasinan and numerous high-end vehicles like Nissan Cefiro, Honda CRV and Toyota Corolla, all of which were paid in cash.

Buendia was employed in 1989 as Clerk II with a gross salary of P17,640 per month.

RIPS sought a six-month preventive suspension against the internal revenue officials, as well as their dismissal from service.

Maria Paz Abadejos Javier, of the DOF’s Legislative Liaison Specialist Research and Information Office, has been charged with perjury after knowingly making false statements in her personal data sheet that she was never formally charged in court.

The DOF said Javier is subject of pending criminal complaints for violation of Batas Pambansa 22 filed as early as 1995.

“Javier’s use of such falsified document as a requirement in her prior employment with the DOF as Economist III and later to facilitate her promotion to Legislative Liaison Specialist prejudiced the other applicants who were genuinely qualified for the position,” the DOF said.           Javier also allegedly failed to pay tax on real properties like a house and a residential lot in Cavite acquired in 1985 and a townhouse in Parañaque or Las Piñas acquired in 1990, the DOF said.  

“Javier’s failure to declare said properties for tax purposes is constitutive of corrupt practice under Section 3(e) of RA  3019 as she caused undue injury and actual damage to the government in terms of lost revenues.”