00:00And it began with the president's rebuke of the shoddy and failed flood control projects at his State of the Nation Address, predicated thereafter with ocular inspections nationwide.
00:10Yesterday, he gave the green light for agency heads to follow up on their own due diligence and good housekeeping initiatives.
00:17And the BIR has begun its own by way of a tax fraud audit scheme, our Kenneth Paschenta takes on in this report.
00:23President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself ordered a widespread investigation into the irregularities in flood control projects.
00:34This is why Sumbong sa Pangulo.ph was launched, to hear directly from the public about defective projects in their areas.
00:41In fact, the president has personally inspected 11 projects so far.
00:45These include flood control projects in Marikina, Iloilo, Bulacan, and Benguet, just days after receiving complaints through Sumbong sa Pangulo.ph.
00:54But according to the palace, this is also a signal for government agencies to conduct their own investigations.
01:01This is why the Bureau of Internal Revenue, or BIR, is now preparing a tax fraud audit on the contractors of the flood control projects identified by the president.
01:09A parallel audit will be conducted on the contractors to check if they are paying the correct taxes.
01:14According to the BIR, all government contractors are required to secure an updated tax clearance from the agency before they can obtain a final settlement for their contracts.
01:24This clearance certifies that they have no tax liabilities and that all necessary taxes have been filed and paid.
01:30Kung mapapatunayan na kulang o mali ang kanilang binayarang buis, hindi sila i-issuean ng updated tax clearance.
01:38Ibig sabihin ito ay madi-disqualify sila sa susunod ng mga government procurements at masususpindi din ang final settlement ng kanilang mga kasalukuyang kontrata sa gobyerno.
01:49The BIR also said they will take action on projects that were reported as completed but where no actual structures exist.
01:55Kung mapapatunayan na kulang o mali ang kanilang binayarang buis, hindi sila i-issuean ng updated tax clearance.
02:03Ibig sabihin ito ay madi-disqualify sila sa susunod ng mga government procurements at masususpindi din ang final settlement ng kanilang mga kasalukuyang kontrata sa gobyerno.
02:13The agency will also follow the palace's directive to conduct lifestyle checks but this time, it will not only be government officials under review but also the contractors.
02:23The aim is to determine if their assets match the taxes they have paid.
02:26Ngayon ang ginagawa natin na lifestyle checks dun sa mga contractors at saka yung may-ari ng mga contractors na ito dahil nakikita natin na marami silang ari-arian na finoflunt at nakikita natin na malaki ang kanilang mga properties yung titignan natin.
02:44So ibabangga natin yan sa revenues.
02:46Kenneth Pasyente from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
