Bamban councilor named acting mayor

TAX evasion raps were filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) yesterday against ousted Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and two others before the Department of Justice.

Also charged were Jack Uy and Baofu Land Development Inc. Corporate Secretary Rachelle Joan Malonzo Carreon.

The case stemmed from Guo’s admission during the Senate inquiry on the operation of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban that she transferred her shares in Baofu to Uy.

The BIR complaint said no capital gains tax (CGT) and documentary stamp tax (DST) returns worth a total of P500,000 were filed and paid concerning the transfer.

Last Tuesday, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Guo from her post after initially suspending her and several local officials in Bamban for six months. She has not been seen in public for a long time now.

The Ombudsman decision was based on the complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government accusing her and other Bamban officials of committing grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service in connection with their alleged involvement in the POGO operation.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. yesterday named Bamban, Tarlac councilor Erano Timbang as the acting tow mayor.

Guo, Uy and Carreon were charged under Section 254 (Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax), and Section 255 (Failure to File CGT and DST Returns) of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997.

Carreon was also charged with violating Section 250 of the NIRC for failure to file or supply certain information.

“While the parties to the transfer are Guo and Uy, Carreon as the Corporate Secretary of Baofu Inc. will also face the same criminal case for tax evasion due to her deliberate failure to report the non-filing and non-payment of CGT and DST returns to the BIR. She even verified under oath the General Information Sheet reflecting the transfer even if no taxes were paid and returns filed,” the BIR said.

BIR chief Romeo Lumagui Jr. said the agency is currently auditing the entire business operations of Guo in light of the Senate hearings