DOF strengthens anti-graft campaign in tax collection

The Department of Finance (DOF) is strengthening its anti-corruption campaign to protect government revenues and reinforce integrity across the country’s tax and customs systems.

In a statement, Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go said the department is tightening coordination between its attached agencies, the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) and the Revenue Operations Group (ROG), to strengthen monitoring of revenue-generating agencies and prevent irregularities in tax collection.

“This collaboration is necessary to build a stronger, more transparent revenue system—one where corruption cannot thrive,” Go said.

To strengthen coordination, the DOF welcomed the appointment of Rolando T. Ligon Jr. as Undersecretary for the ROG and Supervising Undersecretary for the RIPS, allowing the two offices to work more closely in overseeing revenue operations.

RIPS serves as the DOF’s anti-corruption arm tasked with preventing, detecting, and investigating corrupt practices in revenue collection. It conducts lifestyle checks and fact-finding probes to ensure government officials do not accumulate wealth beyond what their legitimate income can justify.

Meanwhile, the ROG supervises revenue-generating agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to ensure tax and customs policies are implemented effectively.

“We will not allow every P1 that our citizens worked hard for to go to waste. That is why we will ensure more effective monitoring, faster dissemination of information, and better implementation of policies,” Go added in Filipino.

Part of the strengthened oversight involves monitoring compliance with the BIR’s updated rules on Letters of Authority (LOAs), which are documents that authorize tax audits. The tighter monitoring aims to reduce opportunities for abuse, corruption, and revenue leakage in the audit process.

The move comes as the BIR pushes ahead with a broader reform agenda that places audit reform and accountability at the center of its operations. The initiative, known as BIR D.A.R.E.S., focuses on digital transformation, audit reforms, stronger revenue collection, employee development, and improved service delivery.

Earlier this year, the BIR also resumed tax audits and field operations after a two-month suspension imposed in late 2025 following allegations that audit authorities were being used in extortion schemes. The bureau has since introduced stricter safeguards, including a single-instance audit rule, which generally limits taxpayers to one electronic Letter of Authority per taxable year to improve transparency and accountability.