BIR to police execs: Take the lifestyle challenge

MANILA, Philippines - Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares yesterday challenged police officials to voluntarily undergo a lifestyle check.

Henares urged officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to follow the example of Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II to voluntarily submit to a lifestyle check and erase public suspicions of ill-gotten wealth.

“Normally, there is a lifestyle check because there are complaints against the PNP. What Secretary Roxas wanted to do is for all police generals and majors to voluntarily undergo lifestyle check even without complaints. There are about 270 of them,” Henares said over radio dzMM.

Henares added Roxas took the initiative himself to submit to a lifestyle check even without someone complaining.

Roxas earlier wanted all PNP officials to undergo a lifestyle check amid a spate of crimes being linked to policemen.

At least 10 police officers have been linked to a highway robbery on EDSA last Sept. 7.

The policemen involved allegedly seized P2 million in cash from the victims.

Two of the police officers, Senior Inspector Oliver Villanueva and PO2 Ebonin Decatoria, were said to have declared net worth in the millions.

Villanueva, head of the investigation and intelligence branch of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Station 1, had declared net worth of P6.5 million and assets of P8 million in 2013.

Decatoria, on the other hand, had a net worth of P4.9 million in 2013 and assets of P6.6 million in the same year.

Roxas said the lifestyle check will not be subjective but will cover all police officers, regardless of their rank and position.

He is also planning to start the check with police generals before going down to middle ranking officers.

Any policeman whose lifestyle does not match his or her salary will automatically be suspected of having ill-gotten wealth, Roxas said.

Henares said she had initial discussions with Roxas on how to conduct lifestyle checks on policemen.

According to Henares, the police officers’ Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALNs) and their income tax returns (ITR) will be checked and compared.

“The difference must match with the salary over the period compared with the ITR,” she said.

She added police officers cannot just explain the increase in their net worth or assets by claiming they belong to rich families or have businesses.

“You cannot just say you have a business. You have to show the registration and the proper taxes. This is why the ITR will be checked,” she said. – With Jaime Laude, Non Alquitran, Rey Galupo