Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza on Thursday said they are looking into the P30 million donation made by Centerways Construction and Development Inc. President Lawrence Lubiano for the 2022 senatorial bid of Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero. Mendoza, in a press conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) said the focus of their investigation is the donor’s tax compliance and declared assets to see if they are aligned.
‘He is saying that he donated P30 million. This means he has an asset of P30 million that he gave. So, we will cross-reference this with the tax returns that he filed. If the taxes that he paid are commensurate with that asset,’ Mendoza said.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has declared that there was no violation of the Election Code when Sen. Francis Escudero received the P30-million campaign donation from Lubiano.
But for the BIR, Mendoza said their primary angle of investigation is to determine if the taxes paid by Lubiano are commensurate with the P30 million asset he donated.