Car-loving BIR couple axed

MANILA, Philippines — Married revenue officers from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) were fired after the Office of the Ombudsman found them guilty of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and non-disclosure of assets.

The Department of Finance's Revenue Integrity and Protection Service (DOF-RIPS) said  Marlon and Emma Pascual possessed "expensive SUV vehicles" including a Ford Explorer, Honda CRV, Hyundai Starex and a Mitsubishi car registered to their daughter, who was a minor.

The Ombudsman found that the family could not have afforded the vehicles given their combined annual salary of P278,424 in 2001.

The cars were likewise not reflected in the couple's Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth or SALN. The Ombudsman called the deed "deliberate."

"Their accumulation of wealth ... is manifestly out of proportion to their salaries. They are guilty of dishonesty," the Ombudsman said in a recent decision.

The Pascual couple, meanwhile, said in defense that they were engaged in several businesses and that revenue from these gave them the capability to purchase the vehicles.

They also claimed that the vehicles have not yet been paid for when they submitted their SALNs.

The Ombudsman did not accept the defense and noted that other government officials and employees would be able to use the incomplete purchase of vehicles and properties to undermine the purpose of filing a SALN.

"Such non-disclosure essentially embraced concealment of unexplained wealth," the ruling explained.

"Such act erodes the function of requiring accuracy of entries in the SALN which must be a true and detailed statement," the decision also said.

The erring couple, who are effectively dismissed from the bureau, will not receive their retirement benefits, have their civil service eligibility canceled and may not be employed in government again.

Undersecretary Carlo Carag, chief of DOF-RIPS, welcomed the development from the five other cases filed before the Ombudsman against perceived graft of spouses in service.

"In its 10-year existence, DOF-RIPS has filed cases against two spouses from BIR; two spouses from the Bureau of Customs and a spouse from the Bureau of Local Government Finance, but this is the first that both spouses were dismissed from the service," Carag said.