Ambassador Juan Rocha’s response

Former ambassador Juan Jose "Johnny" Rocha wrote Spybiz in reaction to the column item "A depressed wife, now an oppressed widow" (Sept.12 issue) pointing out three things: One, that "’the other woman’ was not in the room, in the hospital" where Arturo Rocha died; that no civil suit had been filed against Ambassador Rocha by Marissa Olasolo at the time of this writing; and that he and Marissa maintain a cordial relationship. Regarding point number one, enough people close to Arturo Rocha attest that he died of blood poisoning in Ireland and though Arturo’s so-called long-time girlfriend was not by his bedside at the time of his demise, Spybiz informants have confirmed that the said long-time girlfriend was with him in Ireland. People close to Marissa Olasolo have confirmed that Arturo’s widow is contemplating and preparing to file a civil suit against former Ambassador Rocha. On point number three, Spybiz admits it has no knowledge of the present state of the relationship between the former ambassador and the widow. In fairness to the former ambassador, sources tell us that Arturo Rocha did incur quite a lot of debts while he was at the helm of CF Sharp and Rocha y Cia. However, there are reportedly no clear-cut records to show whether these debts were personal or company-related. Nonetheless, Johnny Rocha confirmed to The STAR that they were in fact selling almost all the valuable works of art abroad – priceless paintings by Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and other notable Filipino masters. Perhaps the government should look into the possibility of buying these treasured works of art. Or they may even want to negotiate with the estate administrator to see if payment for these paintings could be used to defray the cost of inheritance taxes due to the government.

‘Spyware’ to check on tax cheats

Tax dodgers, beware. The Bureau of Internal Revenue will soon be getting an additional P815 million in its war chest to go after tax cheats through an improved IT system that would systematically screen tax returns and promptly raise red flags if figures don’t fit. With the incorporation of systems that could serve as "spyware" and "tripwire," taxmen will be able to spot anomalies in returns, and could raise the collection of the BIR by some P2 billion more, disclosed Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago. In 2005 for instance, the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) thwarted some $412 million in fraudulent tax returns through the use of a computer program developed by a California-based company that searched for signs of cheating in every tax return that claimed a refund, the solon added. Perhaps the DFA should also develop a program to enhance RIPS – Revenue Integrity Protection Service – to avoid rip-offs by some unscrupulous government officials.

Spy tidbiz: First class eco-tourism complex

Spybiz sources disclosed that Metro Pacific Group and Landco have signed up a deal with Don Ado Escudero to convert the latter’s 500-hectare Villa Escudero property in San Pablo, Laguna into a first class, eco-tourism facility. The proposed new features will include a hospital, wellness spas and other amenities that health buffs will find interesting. This eco-tourism project will be the first of its kind in the Philippines, and is anticipated to draw even more tourists to the rustic location hailed for successfully showcasing Philippine culture and history.

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