Every once in a while, especially in slow news days, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) chief Kim Henares would appear in a televised press conference announcing the filing of charges against an unknown taxpayer (a Greenbelt bar, a beauty parlor, a Valenzuela factory) or against a prominent personality (actor Zoren Legaspi, former Chief Justice Renato Corona, and even national boxing hero Manny Pacquiao).

A similar ritual has ensued at the Bureau of Customs especially during the time of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon when he would open container vans in front of media cameras, and show all those supposedly smuggled goods. Flanked by his subordinates, he would announce the filing of smuggling charges. The Finance Department in a similar manner would issue press releases regularly, saying that its Revenue Integrity

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details