Category: Business Mirror

IN the nineteenth century, people died of syphilis without ever knowing they had it. It showed up as something else every time-palsy, psychosis, heart disease-and physicians treated the presentation while the spirochete did whatever it liked. The Great Imitator did not hide. It simply let the symptoms take the blame.

Syphilis was also known as the Great Leveler. It struck down kings, artists, writers, and intellectuals with particular cruelty because these men lived long enough for the disease to reach its late stage, where it attacked the brain and produced madness, paralysis, and ruin. The poor often died early from other causes before the worst symptoms appeared. But the disease was patient. It waited, and in the end, it leveled them all.

Corruption is the Great Leveler of our time, and a broken judiciary is its perfect carrier.

The Philippines has a judiciary that processes cases across timelines measured in decades. A commercial dispute filed today may not reach final resolution until the plaintiff’s children are middle-aged. How many times does a land title case outlast the landowner? A plunder charge against a sitting official will survive multiple administrations, several amnesias, and at least one political resurrection before a verdict arrives if one ever arrives at all. This is not inefficiency. Inefficiency is a clogged toilet. The delay is built into the system. The delay is the point.

The Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court created precisely to hold power accountable, closed 2025 with roughly 805 pending cases, its lowest backlog on record. This is supposedly a big accomplishment. What was not mentioned is that a low backlog at the end of the pipeline tells you nothing about what is happening before cases reach the end. Cases dropped on technicalities leave no trace. Defendants who outlast the prosecution leave no accountability. A decade-long delay ending in acquittal on procedural grounds registers in the statistics as a ‘completed case’ and makes the numbers look clean.

A corrupt official does not read the newspaper headlines. He thinks about how long cases take, who controls the appointments of the judges hearing them, and how many administrations have come and gone since the last high-profile conviction actually resulted in someone serving time. The answer to that last question does not encourage restraint when the bribe money is on the table.

Some major infrastructure projects and nearly all second-tier projects in this country carry a price premium that never appears in the official budget. It is built into the contractor’s bid, allocated across ghost deliverables, and distributed through the subcontracting chain that exists specifically for that purpose. The public pays it through roads that fail before the warranty expires and flood control works that perform exactly as designed-a payoff to everyone in the procurement and delivery process.

None of this is invisible, requiring the services of Sherlock Holmes to uncover. It simply goes unprosecuted at a speed that functions as permission to be corrupt.

Foreign capital knows the reality. Vietnam sits higher than the Philippines on contract enforcement metrics despite being a single-party state with no pretense of judicial independence in the Western sense. Manufacturers relocating supply chains out of China are making allocation decisions, and the Philippine judiciary’s caseload timeline is part of that calculation whether or not it appears in any investor presentation.

The reforms exist, and that is the problem. The Supreme Court’s strategic plan through 2027 includes e-filing, online hearings, and AI-assisted case management. These are useful improvements. What they do not address is whether any of it makes a corrupt official pause before he signs on the approval line and then goes to the bank.

The Philippines does not have a corruption problem wearing the face of a judiciary problem. It has a judiciary problem wearing the face of everything else. A faster filing system is still a system where the powerful walk free. A digitized court is still a court where the verdict depends on who knows the judge. Congress can pass another anti-corruption law with another set of teeth that will never bite anyone. Until judicial appointments are insulated from politics, until a case that takes 15 years is treated as an utter failure rather than a statistic, and until conviction becomes something a corrupt official actually fears, every other reform is a fresh coat of paint on a condemned building. The disease will continue to do whatever it likes.

Reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimum weight champion Pedro Taduran – now the country’s only Filipino world boxing champion-will go back to active training next week at the Elorde gym in Sucat, Parañaque City.

After spending quality time with his wife Mary Joy and son McGaven in Cabuyao, Laguna, the 29-year-old two-time world champion also expressed sadness after Melvin Jerusalem lost his World Boxing Council (WBC) minimum weight title in South Africa last week.

‘I was sad because I am the only Filipino world champion right now after Melvin’s loss, but I believe he can comeback as a world champion again. On my part, I need to be in a good condition to prepare for my next fight,’ Taduran told BusinessMirror on Wednesday.

‘We never know how long we will be champion. So, we must take care of ourselves even though we do not know when our next fight will be,’ he added. ‘Anybody is welcome.’

Jerusalem lost via unanimous decision in his rematch with South African Siyakholwa Kuse on Sunday at the Kempton Park.

But Taduran (20-4-1 win-loss-draw record with 14 knockouts) believes another Filipino – if not Jerusalem – will rise to the occasion to become a world champion soon.

‘There is Charly [Suarez] this year, and some other Filipino fighters that can become champions,’ added Taduran, who is coming from a seven-round knockout win against Gustavo Perez Alvarez of Mexico last April 3 in Pechanga, California.

He also said that he is open to fight either Kuse or World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimum weight champion Oscar Collazo in a unification fight anytime, and anywhere to unite the 105-pound belt.

THE Office of the Vice President has been ‘duly served’ the summons of the Senate sitting as the impeachment court for VP Sara Duterte, according to Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who said they expect her reply to be submitted by June 1, counting the non-extendible 10 calendar days given her by the court.

At Wednesday’s Senate session, Cayetano announced to his peers that he got word of the serving of summons on May 20, and the 10-calendar-day deadline from receipt of summons falls on May 30. However, since it is a Saturday and there is no work at the Senate, the deadline is on June 1, a Monday, the Senate chief explained.

The prosecution panel from the House of Representatives will then have five calendar days from receipt of the VP’s reply, also non-extendible, to respond to it.

The Senate convened last May 18 as an impeachment court for the vice president, who was impeached by 257 members of the House, way above the required number under the law. The HOR impeached her on four main charges, and has formed a prosecution team for each of the four articles of impeachment: misuse of confidential funds; unexplained wealth; bribery; and grave threats in relation to her revelation that she had contacted an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in case something happens to her.

At least 16 senators must vote to convict a subject of an impeachment trial.

The Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. (PIPPA) said the proposals on VAT exemptions on electricity sales must be implemented in a way that is ‘revenue-neutral, executable, and seamless’ for power producers and their existing contracts.

Lawmakers have filed multiple legislative measures to eliminate or reduce the 12-percent VAT on electricity. These bills seek to provide immediate economic relief to Filipino households and businesses facing some of the highest power costs in the region.

PIPA, which has 28 member companies, said that while it supports measures that reduce electricity costs for consumers, these should be carried out in a way that is ‘tax-neutral, administratively workable, and non-disruptive’ to generation companies and existing power supply arrangements.

It strongly urged lawmakers to preserve existing power supply contracts and cost recovery mechanisms approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). ‘VAT changes should not reopen generation rates or impair PSAs [power supply agreements], WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market] settlement arrangements, or supply contracts.’

PIPPA said input VAT recovery must be protected as these measures may threaten to increase embedded costs and create ‘stranded tax costs,’ which could affect capital-intensive projects and plants with high fuel, maintenance, and capital expenditures (capex).

‘Making generation sales VAT-exempt, may prevent generators from crediting input VAT. This may increase embedded costs and create stranded tax costs, especially for capital-intensive generation projects and plants with major fuel, operation and management, or capex inputs.’

Should the bills on partial or full VAT exemption be passed into law, PIPPA said it should include a mechanism allowing generators to recover, credit, refund, or otherwise neutralize input VAT attributable to electricity supply.

PIPPA also raised concern about amending the Electric Power Industry Reform Act to mandate that the cost of subsidies, such as lifeline rate subsidy program, be funded equally by the national government and distribution utilities (DUs), prohibiting these costs from being passed on to consumers.

‘Mandating DUs to absorb 50 percent of the subsidy costs out of their own pockets could strain their financial liquidity. If DUs face financial shortfalls, they may default on or delay their payments to generation companies,’ it said. ‘Greater government appropriations for lifeline subsidies is a positive step towards more sustainable funding mechanisms.’

It recommended the conduct of a comprehensive financial impact study prior to implementation to assess long-term implications for DUs to ensure they remain capable of meeting their PSAs with generation firms.

Under the lifeline rate subsidy program, qualified 4Ps beneficiaries and low-income consumers using 50 kilowatt hour (kWh) and less of electricity per month will receive a 100-percent discount. To fund this, the ERC implemented a universal subsidy rate of P0.01 per kWh charged to non-subsidizing consumers. ‘PIPPA supports any measure aimed at reducing electricity costs for consumers. We hope however, that these are tax-neutral, administratively feasible, and non-disruptive to the energy sector. Proposed laws should protect the delicate balance of consumers and investors, allowing an efficient mechanism for recovery, credit, or refund.

On the proposed reforms to electricity subsidy, transferring the funding of social subsidies from electricity bills to the national budget would more accurately reflect the true cost of power generation and would reduce the direct rates borne by consumers. There should be a comprehensive financial impact study to assess the implications of the proposed reform,’ said PIPPA President Anne Estorco Montelibano.

THE National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) on Wednesday announced that it has recommended the filing of charges against suspended acting Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA), retired police Maj. Gen. Ma. Oronado Ranada Aplasca, and two of his men, in the wake of the May 13 gun discharge incident at the Senate premises in Pasay City.

In a media briefing, the PNP CIDG chief, Maj. Gen. Robert AA Morico II, said investigators recommended the filing of charges as the three were found to have fired their weapons last week.

He added this action is a clear violation under the implementing rules (IRR) of the Republic Act 11917, or the Private Security Services Industry Act.

Under the IRR of Republic Act 11917, Morico said that there are ‘six stages that need to be observed before the use of lethal force. And it does not include the use of a warning shot.’

‘We will transmit our findings to the DOJ [Department of Justice]. It is up to the DOJ to assess,’ he said.

Under the IRR, there are six levels of the ‘force continuum’ used by private security personnel: alert presence (Level 1); verbal communication (Level 2); physical restraints (Level 3); use of chemical agents (Level 4); temporary incapacitation (Level 5); and use of force or use of firearms (Level 6).

‘Firearms shall be used only when there is imminent danger and in self defense or defense of strangers,’ the IRR further states.

Investigation revealed that there was not even a threat in the Senate when the incident happened and the succeeding actions of the OSAA clearly goes against the basic rules of common sense in securing an area that was supposed to have been under attack.

Morico also said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent had fallen back, firing back at Aplasca and the Senate personnel, with at least five shots toward the direction away from the Senate.

Afterward, the NBI agent had met up with his companion and they regrouped with their team, the CIDG chief further detailed.

Morico said they are now conducting an investigation to identify the person or persons who may have misled Aplasca that NBI agents were about to storm the Senate to arrest Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, Aplasca’s original Philippine Military Academy classmate and provincemate.

Morico noted that Aplasca had surrendered a 9mm firearm, but investigators have yet to establish whether it was the same firearm the latter was holding as seen on security footage. Aplasca snubbed the summon sent by the CIDG, but based on the PNP findings, there were 44 spent cartridges recovered at the Senate and all of them were fired from four different firearms.

Morico also said the three other alleged shooters already surrendered the weapons.

Sources said Aplasca fired his gun after he became excited by the presence of NBI agents at the Government Service Insurance System building next to the Senate premises.

The NBI agents were sent to secure the GSIS building upon the request of the government insurer’s management who felt threatened by the rowdy pro-Duterte crowd near the premises.

The GSIS and the Senate share the same building

Meanwhile, the investigation into the May 13 Senate gunfire incident was guided by strict reliance on physical and digital evidence, including CCTV footage and ballistic analysis, the PNP said.

‘This investigation serves as a testament to the PNP’s commitment to truth and accountability. We do not operate on rumors or political narratives,’ the PNP chief, Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., said in a statement, lauding the investigating teams.

‘Our duty is to the facts, and by adhering strictly to the evidence – such as ballistic trajectories and verified CCTV footage – we uphold the integrity of our mandate to protect the public and ensure that justice is grounded in reality, not fear.’

Nartatez praised the investigating units for the speedy completion of the probe, finished in less than a week, underscoring the PNP’s reliance on evidence-based findings over speculation.

‘By prioritizing factual analysis-including ballistics and digital forensics-over speculation, our teams ensured that we provided the Filipino people with clear, objective answers in record time, proving that the PNP remains a highly capable and responsive institution,’ he said.

Nartatez also stressed the importance of promptly releasing the findings to prevent misinformation and public confusion.

‘By acting swiftly and openly, we aim to restore calm, demystify the events of May 13, and hold all involved parties accountable based on the irrefutable evidence we have uncovered,’ he said.

The investigation was conducted in line with the directive of President Marcos and Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla to leave ‘no stone unturned’ in uncovering the truth behind the incident.

The investigation report was formally turned over to acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida during a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday.

During the briefing, Remulla said the Senate was not under attack on the night of May 13, citing that evidence gathered so far, including CCTV footage and sworn statements, indicated that the incident was initiated by Aplasca, and not an armed assault against the chamber.

According to Remulla, CCTV footage reviewed by investigators showed Aplasca firing the first shots toward National Bureau of Investigation agents who were at the GSIS premises to secure the area.

Despite the evidence gathered and reviewed in recent days, Remulla emphasized that investigators have yet to conclude whether the incident was staged or premeditated.

‘We will let the evidence speak for itself,’ he said. ‘The investigation remains ongoing, and all angles will be examined carefully and fairly.’

Nartatez said Aplasca had been directed to appear before the CIDG to surrender his firearm and undergo ballistic examination, but has so far failed to comply. With PNA

SISI RONDINA and Bernadeth Pons are bound to face Olympians in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge at the Nuvali Sands Courts in the City of Santa Rosa.

Rondina and Pons, who made history for the country after leading Alas Pilipinas to a historic gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok last December, are eager to gain points and experience in the prestigious tournament.

‘Actually, it’s really exciting. Personally, I’m excited about the challenge because there are so many Olympians here,’ Rondina said. ‘You already know that Pons and I are the type of players who always grab opportunities whenever they come. That’s why we’re really preparing and mentally ready because we know this will be a very tough competition.’

‘What we showed in the SEA Games won’t be enough here,’ she said. ‘We’ll need to give double or even triple the effort because the level of players here is completely different. Our goal is to keep up with them and deliver consistent performances.’

The seasoned tandem plunge into the main draw on Thursday against still to be determined opponents in the competition supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Top-seeded Americans Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen eye their second Beach Pro Tour medal in the fifth Challenge stop of the event, while Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist Taliqua Clancy and Jana Milutinovic and partner Stefanie Fejes from Australia, are also competing.

Paris 2024 Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte of Lithuania, American winners Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig, French Olympians Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard, and defending Nuvali Challenge champions Anniina Parkkinen and Valma Prihti of Finland are also seeing action.

Ranran Abdilla and Ronniel Rosales will compete in the men’s main draw, where Chase Budinger, a former Natioal Basketball Association player turned beach volleyball player, will see action with his partner Trevor Crabb in the City of Santa Rosa’s hosting, also backed by Medical City South Luzon and Jersey Haven.

Sofiah Pagara and Khylem Progella, meanwhile, advanced to the final round of the qualifier after surviving Germany’s Mareet Maidhof and Tabea Schwarz, 21-19, 28-26.

Pagara and Progella battle for a main draw entry against Hungary’s Lilla Villam and Stefania Kun, who took down China’s Tong Yu and Jiaying Wang, 21-19, 21-23, 15-10.

Sunny Villapando and Gen Eslapor weren’t as lucky after falling prey to the Canadian pair of Amy Ozee and Marie-Alex Belanger in the qualifiers, 21-14, 21-14.

Dij Rodriguez and Kly Orillaneda were eliminated as well by France’s Marine Kinna and Anouk Dupin, 21-16, 21-11, while Alex Polidario and Jenny Gaviola yielded to China’s Jiang Kaiyue and Jie Dong, 21-17, 21-11.

AN executive of a Ramat Gan, Israel-headquartered investment intelligence company believes artificial intelligence (AI) represents a genuine opportunity to level the playing field and get trustworthy, scalable wealth guidance.

‘When 83 percent of Filipino investors tell us they believe AI gives them an advantage over those using traditional methods, versus 70 percent globally, that gap reflects how acutely people here are looking for new ways to move ahead,’ BridgeWise Ltd. Chief Business Officer Dor Eligula told the BusinessMirror. ‘What also stands out is the relationship Filipino investors have with information more broadly.’

Eligula said he considers the Philippines as one of the most active social media markets in the world.

That situation, he added, ‘comfort with diverse, fast-moving information sources seems to carry over into how they approach investment research.’ ‘That makes them more open than many global peers to incorporating non-traditional data into their decision-making, and AI is a natural fit for that,’ Eligula said.

He noted that despite the technology still being in relatively early stages, 65 percent of Filipino investors they talked to have said their confidence in AI has actively grown over the past year.

‘I’d be cautious about over-interpreting that, but it does suggest a pragmatic, long-game attitude, a conviction that the tools are worth backing now, even as they continue to mature,’ Eligula told the BusinessMirror. ‘In a market moving this quickly, that kind of patience and optimism may itself be a competitive advantage.’

Another company, Informa Telecoms and Media Ltd., has said on May 14 through a statement that AI adoption across Southeast Asia rapidly evolves from ‘early experimentation to accountable and operational deployment.’

The company added that traditional IT infrastructure across Asia is transforming into ‘AI Factories.’

‘These are heavy industrial facilities purpose-built to continuously produce intelligence,’ read a statement Informa issued last week.

However, Eligula said that despite its pervasive use, AI isn’t replacing financial advisors in the Philippines, or anywhere else.

AI is upgrading their ability to serve more clients, in a better way, he said. Eligula added that ‘the heavy lifting of data parsing and market scanning is increasingly handled by the technology, which frees advisors to focus on what they’re actually best placed to do: apply judgment and help clients make sense of what the numbers mean for their specific situation.’

‘Ultimately, the more meaningful divide in the Philippines likely won’t be between humans and machines, but between those who embrace specialized AI as part of their practice and those who don’t. This shift is creating a new standard of financial advisory, where success comes from working smarter with specialized intelligence,’ he said.

After decades of being called unhealthy due to the ‘saturated-fat’ label, coconut is increasingly regarded as a superior cooking oil (certainly far healthier than seed oils) while the MCT it contains is an appetite-satisfier and an almost-immediate source of ketones, and thus plays a large role in many diet schemes, such as the ‘Bulletproof’.

By themselves in reasonable amounts, most fats can be beneficial, unless you eat so much that you get fat. Normal intake of saturated fat makes meals physically and emotionally satisfying, and certainly helps avoid excessive consumption of refined starches and sugars, on which there is no doubt as to harmfulness. Olive oil/oleic acid is a MUFA (called Omega-9) that contains anti-inflammatory and gut health qualities; olive oil also contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

Omega-3 (EPA and DHA) is a PUFA and an ‘essential fatty acid’, meaning our bodies need it but we can’t make it ourselves and must get it from a dietary source. Good sources are fatty fish like salmon, canned tuna, and sardines. Omega-6 (linoleic acid) is also essential, but most diets already contain too much of it, causing hidden inflammation.

There is considerable disagreement in the medical community over Omega-6. Numerous sources stick with the party line against saturated fats and state that ‘there is no clinical proof that high Omega-6 intake causes inflammation with adverse cardiac consequences.’ (Neither is there any proof that it is beneficial beyond a minimal amount.)

Minority sources (e.g., https://openheart.bmj.com/content/5/2/e000898) believe that excessive Omega-6 borders on poisonous, causing severe oxidative stress. Plantation Bay agrees with the minority view.

Most people’s main dietary source of PUFAs is ‘seed oils’ – cooking oil made by a lengthy industrial process from seeds. These include corn, soy, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, grapeseed, rice bran, and canola. Canola used to be called rapeseed. It was grown for inedible oils like engine grease. After World War II, Canada genetically modified its rapeseed to become edible, and re-branded it ‘Canadian Oil’ or canola.

The industrial processing qualifies all seed oils as ‘ultra-processed’. Just look at a grain of unhusked rice and figure out what chemical processes must be needed to extract the minute quantity of oil in it. In case you wanted to know, the first step is to dissolve the seeds in hexane, a component in gasoline. Then the entire mix is heated to separate the hexane, leaving raw oil; the oil is then bleached and clarified, and finally deodorized. In contrast, coconut oil and olive oil are simply pressed out of the fruit pulp.

Most seed oils are 70% or more linoleic acid. But linoleic acid is already present in so many other foods (peanuts, eggs, pork, chicken, nuts) that we really wouldn’t need to go out of our way to use seed oils even if Omega-6/linoleic acid were beneficial. In fact, Omega-6 beyond a very low threshold is not beneficial, because it is a precursor to inflammatory chemicals like cytokines. (A ‘precursor’ is an intermediate nutrient which the body uses as raw material to make something else, like proteins and hormones, for good or bad.)

Furthermore, as mentioned in a previous article, more Omega-6 means less Omega-3 is incorporated in our cells, including brain cells, with serious effects on inflammation, brain function, and blood viscosity. Another problem with PUFAs is precisely that they have many loose chemical ends and are therefore inherently unstable. They can safely be used at home a few times, but every heating (especially if past the smoke point) turns some of it into trans-fat, also creating toxins and free radicals. Unfortunately, in virtually ALL restaurants, whether fast-food or fine dining, seed oils are heated to high temperatures and then re-used for a week to two weeks. That’s probably more than ‘a few times’.

Given that your diet almost certainly already has too much Omega-6, seed oils and the Omega-6 they consist of probably do NOT contribute to your health, and may actually harm it in several ways. However, the Medical Establishment is bending over backward to avoid admitting it has been wrong for 70 years, and is sticking with PUFAs come hell or high water.

Plantation Bay is one of the very few establishments in the world that has consciously eliminated the use of seed oils for frying. We use coconut oil, a highly stable fat that was deliberately badmouthed by the seed oil industry to eliminate its healthiest competitor. For a complete discussion on how the entire world was misled into scorning saturated fat by one faulty, biased, non-scientific study, please read the companion article and video The Swindle of the Century – How Bad Science Became Nutrition Dogma (https://plantationbay.com/satfat).

Practical takeaway: Avoid Omega-6, whether through seed cooking oils or too many peanuts. Natural sources of Omega-3 are salmon, sardines, krill, and some seaweeds. You probably don’t get enough, so consider supplementation. Choose a brand with 1000 mg of DHA, 500 mg EPA, and NO Omega-6.

THE Philippine Embassy in Jordan officially concluded its repatriation efforts, as the last of two Filipino tourists arrived safely in Manila.

Their return last March marked the successful homecoming of all 115 Filipino tourists and pilgrims who were left stranded in Jordan due to ongoing regional tensions.

The final phase of the operation involved two tourists who entered Jordan from Egypt in late February. Originally scheduled to fly home on March 7, the two faced a series of hurdles when their flights were abruptly canceled.

Under the whole-of-government approach, the embassy provided immediate assistance to the two tourists-including their one-way airfare costs-fully covered by the Philippine government through the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Assistance-to-Nationals Standby Fund. The Migrant Workers Office in Jordan, on the other hand, provided their temporary accommodation and meals at the Migrant Workers Resource Center, ensuring the compatriots had a safe place to stay until their successful departure on March 12.

Ambassador Wilfredo C. Santos said that ‘beyond logistical hurdles of canceled flights and non-refundable tickets, the embassy’s priority remains the welfare of individuals…and [making] sure that no Filipino is left behind.’

Santos confirmed that, ‘From providing temporary shelter through the MWO-Jordan to navigating the exorbitant costs of emergency travel, every action taken by the embassy was a move toward bringing our people out of harm’s way.’

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) issued new guidelines for closing businesses and cancelling tax registrations, with clearances to be released in three working days for micro-scale businesses and small-sized entrepreneurs.

The new guidelines are contained in Revenue Memorandum Circular 047-2026 issued by Internal Revenue Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza.

‘This is our ‘Ease of Closing Business’ reform,’ Mendoza was quoted in a separate statement as saying. ‘The BIR is making it easier for taxpayers who have already ceased operations to properly close their business and cancel their registration.’

Micro-sized businesses with no open cases or outstanding liabilities will no longer undergo mandatory audit for closure and/or cancellation of business registration. Their tax clearances will also be issued within three working days.

For those with open cases, tax clearances will likewise be issued within three working days from the submission of complete documentary requirements and the payment of outstanding liabilities, including penalties.

To better assist businesses, the BIR will also allow applications for the closure of business registration to be filed either electronically or manually through the Revenue District Office (RDO) where the head office or branch is registered.

To those opting for online applications, the required documents may be submitted through the RDO’s official email address or through the BIR’s electronic registration facilities, such as the Taxpayer Registration-Related Application Portal and Online Registration and Update System.

The BIR has also reduced the required documents to be submitted, which now only include the list of ending inventory of goods and supplies, including capital goods for VAT-registered taxpayers, and the unused invoices, supplementary documents and other unutilized accounting forms, together with their inventory.

Upon submission of the complete documentary requirements, penalties for the non-filing of tax returns will no longer accrue, while their registered form types will be placed under ‘deregistered’ status. Filing an application for the closure or cancellation of registration, however, does not preclude the Bureau from conducting an audit to determine any outstanding tax liabilities, the BIR noted.

Mendoza urged taxpayers who have already ceased operations to avail of the streamlined process to avoid the continued accumulation of penalties and to properly update their registration records with the BIR.

‘From improving the ease of doing business and the ease of paying taxes, this reform completes the BIR’s support for businesses through every stage of the business life cycle,’ Mendoza said.

‘If we make it easier to start and operate a business, then the government must also make it easier to properly close BIR registration once operations have already ceased,’ he added.