Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. is among the officials retained by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following the Chief Executive’s call for courtesy resignations from members of the Cabinet and heads of key government agencies.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Lumagui expressed gratitude for being given the opportunity to continue leading the country’s chief tax agency.
Under Lumagui’s leadership, the BIR has recorded consistent overperformance in revenue collection.
Lumagui said he is “both grateful and honored for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s reaffirmation of trust and confidence in me.”
“Grateful to lead the dedicated and loyal Revenuers of the Bureau once again and honored to be seen as a capable appointee to execute the plans and programs of our President.”
The Palace on Tuesday released the names of those whose resignations were declined, following the President’s announcement last week that he would evaluate his official family to align government performance with his administration’s priorities.
Lumagui, who has served as BIR chief since 2022, said the President’s decision sends a clear message to all public servants.
“The Chief Executive’s call for accountability is a stark reminder to all public servants that complacency has no place under PBBM’s leadership and providing quality service to the Filipinos is the paramount mission of this Administration,” the lawyer pointed out.
He vowed to build on the Bureau’s existing reforms and said “makakaasa po kayo ng mas pinaigting na mga programa at serbisyo na higit pa sa ating mga nasimulan para sa Bagong BIR!”
Under Lumagui’s leadership, the BIR has recorded consistent overperformance in revenue collection.
As of April 2025, the Bureau has collected ₱1.111 trillion (net of tax refunds), exceeding its target for the period by ₱7.045 billion. The amount is also 14.5% or ₱140.695 billion higher than collections for the same period last year. The April 2025 figure already accounts for more than 35% of the Bureau’s full-year collection target of ₱3.232 trillion.
The BIR has also intensified its tax enforcement efforts, particularly in its campaign against the use of fake receipts. In a landmark victory for the Bureau, the Department of Justice recently filed criminal charges in court against Ever Bilena after the BIR’s successful filing of a complaint involving ghost receipts—marking a major breakthrough in the agency’s crackdown on tax fraud under its Run After Fake Transactions (RAFT) Program
Lumagui earlier stated that “with the intensification of the Bureau’s tax enforcement activities, specifically on the campaign against sellers and buyers of fake receipts, and with the continuous streamlining and digitalization of the BIR’s core services, we hope to encourage all non-compliant taxpayers to comply fully with the provisions and requirements of the tax laws so we can attain, and even surpass, our annual collection target this year.”
