Tobacco farmers press charges vs BIR executives

MANILA, Philippines - Tobacco farmers in Northern Luzon want four more executives of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) jailed for favoring a multi-billion peso tax stamp scheme which, they said, could kill the local tobacco industry.

In an amended complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, the farmers accused BIR Deputy Commissioners Nelson Aspe, Celie King, Lucila Rodriguez and Danilo Duncano of reportedly giving preferential treatment to SICPA Products Security S.A. (SICPA).

The accused are all members of the BIR management committee which, together with BIR Deputy Commissioner Lilia Guil-lermo, approved the costly tax stamp project.

The farmers claimed that this committee set aside “the stringent requirements” of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law when it classified the SICPATRACE System as an unsolicited proposal and declared SICPA as an original proponent of the costly tax stamp project.

It will be recalled that a BIR pre-qualification, bidding and awards committee (PBAC) recommended to the BIR management committee to accept SICPA’s proposal despite the company’s failure to meet at least 48 of the 83 technical requirements.

Records show that the management committee approved the costly tax stamp project in October 2008. “Based on the initial evaluation of the documents submitted to our office, the SICPATRACE Project was found to have satisfied the evaluation criteria for pursuing the project as an unsolicited proposal,” the management committee said in a letter.

 “In view thereof, please be informed that the BIR Management Committee has resolved to accept the SICPATRACE Project Proposal and has conferred upon to SICPA Products Security S.A. an original proponent status...” the letter added.

The farmers said that the management committee’s move is a blatant disregard of the BOT Law.

The farmers are members of the Camanggaan Barbar Nagsuputan Farmers Association, Lucky Star Farmers Association, Barangay Sengngat Ecological Society, Porporiket Farmers Association, and Immayos Farmers Association.