ShareThisMANILA – The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has started its own investigation into government officials and other personalities allegedly benefiting from illegal numbers game jueteng.
“While the hearing was going on, we have already started accessing information on those names that were mentioned,” BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares told reporters in a press conference Thursday at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Henares said that the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as other government agencies have provided them information to pursue their inquiry.
“We are coordinating with various agencies to have access to records,” she said.
With regards to how much they could collect, Henares could not give figures yet.
“Nobody really knows how much is due. Nobody will be able to document it,” she said.
However, Henares said, “if you are engaged in illegal activity, you are not entitled to deduction. So, whatever you are giving your collector like salary, these are not deductible.”
The BIR chief, however, refused to give names of those being investigated.
Earlier, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, an anti-jueteng crusader, provided the Senate a list of names of those who allegedly benefited from jueteng.
Among those named by the retired bishop were former Philippine National Police Chief Director General Jesus Versoza and DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno