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The anti-corruption arm of the Department of Finance (DOF) has so far investigated a total of 468 employees based on various complaints and lifestyle checks during the past five years under the Duterte administration.

Under the supervision of Finance Undersecretary Bayani Agabin, these investigations were done by the DOF’s Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) from July 2016 up to December 2021 resulted in 58 cases filed before either the Office of the Ombudsman, Civil Service Commission (CSC) or other quasi-judicial bodies.

According to a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III by RIPS Executive Director Ray Gilberto Espinosa, the investigations were done on employees from the DOF; Bureaus of Customs, (BOC), of Internal Revenue (BIR), of Local Government Finance (BLGF), and of the Treasury (BTr); and the Insurance Commission (IC).

Over half or 55 percent of the 466 employees investigated were from the BOC, while over a third or 38 percent were from the BIR, according to Espinosa in his report.

From July 2016 up to February 2022, Espinosa said 16 were dismissed from the service, while 10 were found guilty in criminal cases.

Another 35 employees were suspended, nine were reprimanded and seven were ordered to pay fines as penalties for the charges for which they were held liable.

Also under Agabin’s supervision, the Legal Affairs Office (LAO) of the DOF, meanwhile, provided adequate support and rulings to the Department’s concerns on different administrative rules, circulars, contracts, and other issuances requiring legal advice and clearance.

The LAO also provided legal inputs to various bills related to the DOF, and monitored cases in court involving the Department.

It also represented the DOF in several governing boards and interagency committees, such as the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), Interagency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), and the Natural Resources Development Corp. (NRDC), among others.

For its part, the Central Board of Assessment Appeals (CBAA)?the DOF-attached agency that decides on real property tax assessment cases?received appeals involving some P1.92 billion-worth of real property taxes in 2021.

As a quasi-judicial body, the CBAA decides on real property tax assessment cases brought on appeal from the decisions of the Local Board of Assessment Appeals of cities and provinces nationwide.

In 2021, five cases decided by the CBAA remain pending with the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), with four others decided in its favor.

Another 20 cases were elevated to the Supreme Court (SC), with 6 decided in favor of the CBAA decision, according to CBAA Hearing Officer Gualberto Oyzon in his report to Dominguez.

Oyzon said 100 percent of the cases received by the Board from the LBAA were acted upon within 30 days after receipt of the complete documents needed to resolve them.

He said nine out of 10 cases submitted for decision to the CBAA were resolved within 90 days. DOF