Capiz mediamen refreshed on taxation
Roxas City -- Some tri-media practitioners here were refreshed on the basics of taxation and various revenue services during a mass media briefing initiated by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Revenue District Office No. 72 last September 28 to widen and enhance its tax awareness campaign by tapping the support of broadcast and print channels of communication.
The local mediamen were also oriented on the Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) Program, BIR on Wheels Project, and the Premyo sa Resibo Promo before an open forum for clarifications and explanations of the discussed issues.
The activity was also aimed to promote transparency and accountability in government as well as establish good media relations.
Revenue District Officer Eralen De Aro of BIR RDO No. 72 said that about P200 million pesos remains to be collected by the District until the end of the year to meet its collection goal of nearly half a billion pesos for 2006.
Recently, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has cited BIR as among the top ten government agencies with a commendable efforts and performance in the anti-graft campaign which have set the bar for other agencies for emulation.
"We are taking today to acknowledge the efforts and achievements of various government agencies in implementing their respective Integrity Development Action Plan. We recognize the 10 agencies that showed the best effort and compliance in the Integrity Plans in the first semester of 2006," the President said.
Topping the list of best-performing government agencies in the anti-graft and corruption drive were the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Office of the President (OP), Department of Education (DepED), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) rated the efforts and achievements of the government agencies in the war against graft and corruption. The PAGC is chaired by Constancia de Guzman.
The PAGC is the lead agency monitoring compliance by government agencies with the Integrity Development Action Plan (IDAP).
The IDAP contains 22 anti-corruption measures crafted by senior government officials during a PAGC workshop on the eradication of red tape in state agencies.
The 22 items in the IDAP include the strengthening of internal controls to prevent graft and corruption, adoption of a single identification (ID) system for government officials and employees, and education strategies such as integration of anti-corruption modules for elementary and secondary levels.
Also among the 22 IDAP items is the adoption of deterrence and investigation measures, including the setting up of an Internal Affairs Unit and publication of blacklisted offenders. (PIA/A. Lumaque)