BIR probes Alice Guo for possible tax evasion

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is conducting its own investigation into Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, in parallel with the ongoing Senate inquiry, for possible tax evasion cases.

In a statement on Friday, the BIR announced that Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. has ordered the agency to have 100% cooperation with the ongoing Senate probe against Guo.

The BIR chief also tasked the taxman’s revenue officers to look into the names and entities who figured during the hearings. 

"I have commanded the whole BIR to cooperate with the Senate and look into the mentioned names of individuals and entities as well as their accumulated wealth. The BIR will fully cooperate with the Senate investigation on Mayor Guo,” said Lumagui.

“The BIR will also conduct its own investigation against the said individuals and entities. Due process will be followed. If the income declared with the BIR does not match the value of the properties amassed during the same taxable years, criminal cases for tax evasion will be filed,” added Lumagui.

The BIR chief noted that the same charges can be filed against conspirators and the corporate officers of the companies “used to amass such wealth.”

GMA News Online reached out to the camp of Guo for comment, but no response has yet been received as of posting time.

The BIR said it is also closely monitoring the ongoing Senate investigation of Guo. 

The cash, properties, and other sources of wealth shown during the senate hearings should be substantiated with proper payment of taxes, the tax collection agency said.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who's been leading the investigation into the raided POGO hub where the Bamban mayor is being linked, said that the committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality is willing to cooperate with the BIR's investigation.

"Hindi na nakakagulat kung may kababalaghan din sa pagbayad ng buwis si Mayor Alice Guo. Halos lahat ng dokumento na may pangalan niya ay kwestiyonable. Mula sa birth certificate hanggang sa SALN, wala pa siyang napapaliwanag nang maayos," Hontiveros said in a statement.

(It's not surprising that Mayor Alice Guo's tax payments appear to be irregular. Nearly all of the documents under her name are questionable. She hasn't given an adequate explanation, whether it's her birth certificate or her SALN.)

"Payo ko kay Mayor Alice Guo: Come clean. Sabihin niya na ang totoo bago pa mahuli ang lahat," she added.

(My advice to Mayor Alice Guo: Come clean. Tell the truth before it's too late.)

Like Hontiveros, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian commended the BIR's "proactive action" to investigate the sources of income of the companies where Guo was involved and determine their liabilities to the government.

"During the last hearing, we pointed out that the declared income of the Guo Companies are not commensurate to Mayor Alice Guo's assets and investments. This is an indication that there are external sources that not declared in their company's tax returns," he said.

Assets

According to GMA Integrated News Research, Guo declared assets was worth around P429 million in her June 30, 2022 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

An amended copy of the document issued July 1, 2022, however, indicated her net worth plunged to only P286 million. 

From nine properties, Guo removed three real estate properties including a company under her name. Also cut from the list of her personal properties were club shares and a deposit for land acquisition worth P138 million. 

Guo’s December 31, 2022 SALN showed she reinstated her P138 million deposit, club shares, and six real estate properties. 

The BIR, meanwhile, is calling on all informants, whether from the private sector or government agencies, to provide the necessary documents and pieces of evidence in auditing Guo and other entities identified in the ongoing Senate probe.

On Thursday, Guo formally appealed her suspension as Mayor of Bamban, saying the complaints filed against her over her alleged links to the criminal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in her town are baseless. —with Hana Bordey/VAL/VBL, GMA Integrated News