Pacquiao seeks lifting of freeze order on bank account 'to pay office staff'

The camp of boxing icon and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao appealed to the Bureau of Internal Revenue Saturday to lift the freeze order on his Landbank account, saying the money in that account is used to pay the salaries of his congressional staff.

 

In a report aired on “24 Oras” Saturday evening, lawyer Tranquil Salvador said the BIR might have included Pacquiao’s Landbank account by accident in the list of bank accounts it has ordered frozen pending the resolution of his tax evasion case.

 

“[Yung pera sa account ay para] sa trabaho naman niya bilang congressman. Siguro naman naiintindihan nila (BIR). Baka hindi lang nila napansin o nahagip, so baka pupuwede namang mai-release [yung Landbank account] in the meantime,” he said.

 

Pacquiao claimed in a press conference earlier this week that his bank accounts were frozen over his supposed failure to report in his income tax returns taxes collected by the US Internal Revenue Service on prize winnings for the years 2008 to 2009.

 

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares said the matter is a simple case of tax collection, and has asked two banks where Pacquiao is known to have deposits to hold the money in lieu of delinquent tax payments. 

 

She said only P1.1 million of the billionaire boxer’s money has been secured, based on reports from the banks. 

 

While Henares admitted that it is likely that Pacquiao’s Landbank account has been included in the list of frozen bank accounts, she said the BIR has not yet received a letter from the bank certifying that it has imposed the freeze order.

 

Despite Pacquiao’s claim that his Landbank account contains money for the payment of expenses he incurs as a lawmaker--staff salaries, office maintenance costs and scholarship grants for his constituents-- Henares said it is still considered a private bank account since it is not in the name of a government agency.

 

She said the BIR will only act on the boxer’s request once his lawyers submit a formal request to have the order lifted. Pacquiao’s camp also has to come up with an alternative bank account that the BIR can secure while his tax case is pending.

 

“He has to write requests and has to offer an alternative kasi naka-warrant yun. Assuming ho na ire-release natin [yung Landbank account], ano pong gusto niyang i-alok para ma-replace yun? Kailangan po siya ang magsabi. Unless there’s a request, there’s nothing to act upon,” Henares said. — Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News