Marcos godson Romeo Lumagui out as BIR chief 

Finance Undersecretary Charlito Mendoza replaces Lumagui as head of the Bureau of Inner Income

MANILA, Philippines – Romeo “Jun” Lumagui Jr. is out as commissioner of the Bureau of Inner Income (BIR), Malacañang Palace confirmed on Wednesday night, November 12. 

Changing Lumagui is Finance Undersecretary Charlito Mendoza, who as soon as headed the division’s income operations group. Mendoza’s appointment papers had been signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday. 

Lumagui’s rise as head of the BIR was swift. He was first appointed deputy commissioner by Marcos firstly of the latter’s administration. By November 2022, or 4 months later, he was appointed commissioner, changing a extra veteran official who was, herself, a former deputy fee and former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas assistant governor.

Lumagui’s abrupt exit was, to many observers and even operators in Philippine politics, a shock.

The BIR had reportedly exceeded its assortment goal for 2024, the primary time in over 20 years — excluding the 2020 pandemic — that the company met its goal collections. 

A day earlier than his substitute was introduced, Lumagui had ordered a “main personnel overhaul” throughout the company’s regional places of work. 

Then, there’s, in fact, his private ties to Malacañang. 

Lumagui is the husband of lawyer Carmela Esquivas-Lumagui, amongst First Woman Liza Araneta-Marcos’ most trusted aides. 

President Marcos and the First Woman are marriage ceremony godparents to Lumagui and Esquivas, who was as soon as a part of the now-defunct regulation agency MOST (then referred to as Marcos, Ochoa, Serapio, Tan) and M & Associates, the previous regulation agency of Araneta-Marcos. 

The Lumagui couple performed key roles in Marcos’ 2022 presidential marketing campaign, with Esquivas-Lumagui enjoying a somewhat public one in accompanying and campaigning with Simon and Vinny, the youthful of the First Couple’s grownup sons. 

Only a week in the past, on November 6, Lumagui led the submitting of tax evasion complaints towards former Division of Public Works and Highways engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza over a P1.6-billion tax legal responsibility. The three engineers are on the heart of a flood management corruption scandal that’s engulfed a lot of Philippine authorities. 

Hours earlier than his sacking was introduced, Lumagui shared a graphic of a social media character and lawyer who praised the BIR for life-style checks on public officers, nonetheless in relation to the corruption scandal that’s rocking the Marcos administration. – Rappler.com