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Neil Jayson Servallos - The Philippine Star
February 3, 2026 | 12:00am
Senator Ping Lacson on January 14, 2026.
STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Blue Ribbon committee will hold a hearing this week on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)’s decision to resume issuing letters of authority (LOAs) and mission orders (MOs) after more than two months of suspension, Senate President Pro Tempore and committee chair Panfilo Lacson said yesterday.
Lacson said the panel needs to be formally briefed on the reforms introduced by the BIR to prevent a repeat of the alleged extortion schemes that prompted the suspension in November last year.
“The Senate Blue Ribbon committee needs… to prevent or at least minimize abuse committed against our taxpayers, then we may have to conclude the committee hearings on the matter,” Lacson said.
“We will schedule a hearing this week in this regard to hear what the BIR has to say,” he added.
Last week, the BIR announced the resumption of audit operations, including the issuance of LOAs and MOs, which had been suspended following allegations that some revenue officers were using them to pressure taxpayers.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza earlier said reforms would be implemented, including limiting the issuance of LOAs to one per taxpayer per taxable year. Taxpayers will also be able to verify the authenticity of LOAs through the BIR’s chatbot.
Sen. JV Ejercito, who earlier raised concerns over the alleged abuse of LOAs, said he recently met with Mendoza to discuss the issue.
“Issuance of LOA can only be done once a year, multiple LOAs not anymore allowed. Also all LOA issuance has to pass through the office of the Commissioner from now on, not only on the RD level,” he said.
“I am satisfied that the new BIR commissioner acted on the matter of the weaponization of the LOA for extortion as I was the one who brought this up during last year’s budget hearings,” Ejercito said.
