The BIR should rid itself of bad eggs

By Herbert Vego

 

NO less than Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez shocked everybody when he said that the government would run after online sellers and barter traders who, instead of purchasing goods, exchange items.

To the increasing number of Filipinos who have resorted to small-time online selling and barter to avoid depleting limited financial resources in the time of COVID-19, that’s adding insult to injury.

Mabuti na lang somebody from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa, said they would only be running after big online shopping platforms like Lazada, Shoppee and Zalora.

We hope so, especially at this suffering time when bad eggs at the BIR are most unwelcome.

Unfortunately on the local front, the BIR has not yet shed off its image as a “killer” of small businesses. The other day, for instance, a correspondent from San Jose, Antique reported to this writer that a few BIR people, assisted by the police, padlocked a new restaurant, allegedly in line with its “Oplan Kandado” program.

The new restaurant as specified in its mayor’s permit is Blossom’s Bloom Restobar.

The restaurant owner, Adelina Ba-ay, tried to see Antique’s revenue district officer (RDO), Malou Nebit, to say that it is no longer the Blossom’s Resto Grill owned by Dahnee Louie Santillan, but she was not around.

In Ba-ay’s behalf, this columnist tried to see BIR regional director Esmeralda Tabula here in Iloilo City, only to be told that she was “still stranded in Zamboanga.”

I remembered, however, former regional director Ric Espiritu vouching for the  efficiency and moral ascendancy of RDO Nebit during our interview with him.

The sketchy information we have of the padlocked restaurant is that the old owner had quit his business because he could not pay the “excessive penalty” imposed by the BIR for whatever violation, whether true or trumped-up.

Are we seeing here a case of Josefa being made to pay what Jose owes?

May we heart from Ms. Nebit?

 

-oOo-

 

MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) is leaving no stone unturned in its drive to bag power thieves in Iloilo City. No less than MORE Power President Roel Z. Castro and department head Jose Ariel “Aye” Castañeda (I-Konek Task Force) took turns in bringing the matter to public attention on the Aksyon Radyo programs “Daily Guardian on Air” and “Tribuna sang Banwa” on Saturday and yesterday, respectively.

Their sad news is that MORE Power had “inherited” from the previous power utility, Panay Electric Co. (PECO), an estimated 30,000 illegal connections through the use of “jumpers” that tend to overload transformers. The trick diverts power consumption to system’s loss, chargeable to honest customers.

No wonder, during the time of PECO,  customers were compelling about monthly bills jumping from P5,000 to P100,000, and for which they were forced to pay “installment” if they did not want to be disconnected.

Thus, PECO  did not stand to lose from the practice and did not even exercise its right to sue the power pilferers even if, under Republic Act 7832 — otherwise known as the Anti-Pilferage of Electricity and Theft of Electric Transmission Lines/Materials Act of 1994 – it is punishable by six months to five years imprisonment not less than ten thousand pesos (P 10,000) or both, at the discretion of the court.

To prove the seriousness of its drive, MORE Power has filed cases against ten suspected power thieves – including a businessman, a barangay kagawad and a religious minister, among others.

Well, panahon na gid man for the “jumpers” to jump out of the power lines.

 

-oOo-

 

Concerning the President’s 2020 State of the Nation Address to be delivered today, so far the media have not been informed what’s in it. The only sure thing is its uniqueness, being the first in the time of COVID-19, with only 50 persons in attendance.

If there’s one thing we would beg of him, it’s to refrain from telling lies.

If he says he had nothing to do with the House of Representatives’ disapproval of the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, we would not believe him simply because he had been threatening to close the network since December 2017.

If he repeats his claim that he had “dismantled the oligarchy without declaring martial law,” why should we believe him when we know who are around him?

If he says he has nothing to do with the anti-terror law that is now being questioned at the Supreme Court (SC), we would not believe him.

Talking of the SC, it would probably regain a semblance of credibility if it junks the law (RA 11479) for being unconstitutional. Section 29, its most controversial provision, allows authorities to arrest and detain persons “suspected” of committing terrorist acts even without a warrant from the court.

Article 3, Section 2 of the Constitution, which states that no warrant of arrest could be issued “except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the judge.”

The challenge that confronts the SC today is to disabuse the public perception that it is already “hawak sa leeg ni Presidente.”

 

-oOo-

 

As long as there’s panggagago during the time of COVID, the government should not expect respect from the ginagagago.

An obvious one that even the “militarized” Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)  has endorsed is the requirement for motorcycle-riding spouses to buy “backrider shield” that would  keep them “safe”.

It is bad enough that the couples who awake and sleep side by side must abide by that requirement.

Worse, they would, in fact, be more prone to danger, according to motorcycle dealers representing the brands Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha.

Their association, the Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc. (MDPPA), has released an official statement opposing the new requirement for backriding in a statement, which we are quoting partially:

“Any additional fixture will negatively affect stability and handling of a motorcycle, thus, inevitably compromising safety of its occupants.”

Any experienced rider knows that the required backrider shield not only drastically reduces the motorcycle’s aerodynamic efficiency but also acts as a sail, catching the wind and can easily throw a motorcycle rider off balance.