By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed criminal tax evasion complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Sunwest Inc., its president Aderma Angelie Descarga Alcazar, and treasurer Cesar Zacarias Buenaventura over an alleged ₱22.71-billion deficiency income tax liability covering the years 2019 to 2024.
In a statement, the BIR said the complaint arose from an audit that allegedly uncovered substantial discrepancies between the company’s reported revenues and records submitted by government agencies.
The tax agency alleged that Sunwest Inc. underdeclared its taxable income, claimed unsupported deductions for expenses and purchases, and improperly utilized creditable withholding tax credits, resulting in billions of pesos in alleged unpaid income taxes.
The investigation was undertaken following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to examine alleged irregularities involving government flood control projects.
According to the BIR, auditors found significant differences between project payments reported by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the income declared by the company in its income tax returns during the six years.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza said the filing of the complaint underscores the agency’s intensified campaign against tax fraud under its Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) Program.
“The BIR will continue to pursue civil and criminal actions against taxpayers found to have violated the National Internal Revenue Code,” Mendoza said, stressing that the agency remains committed to strengthening tax enforcement and protecting government revenues.
The case forms part of the government’s broader effort to ensure accountability in public infrastructure spending and to crack down on tax violations linked to major government-funded projects.
ia/xf
