Is the BIR chief Supreme Court-bound?

MANILA, Philippines – Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares laughed off talks that she is one of those considered by President Aquino to take over the slot of Chief Justice Renato Corona in the Supreme Court.  

In a historic vote on Tuesday, May 29, 20 senator-judges declared Corona guilty of betraying the public’s trust and committing culpable violation of the Constitution.

Corona is the first Philippine magistate to be impeached and convicted, and will be removed from office. President Aquino supported this impeachment trial, which started in January.

Way back then, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima has reportedly supported Henares as a possible contender for the Chief Justice position.

When asked about this, Henares claimed she does not think about it. “That’s not on my mind. I have work to do at the BIR,” said Henares, one of the prosecution’s witnesses against Corona.

Henares had testified that Corona did not file income tax returns from 2002 to 2010. She also testified that Corona’s wife acquired an P11-million property in the gated La Vista village in 2003 despite having no reported source of income.

Henares is a key figure in the Aquino government’s efforts to improve revenue collections through an ongoing name-and-shame campaign. The BIR collects about 3/4 of the government’s total revenues, which fund the government’s education, security and social service programs. In the first 4 months of 2012, the BIR collected P345.26 billion, around 32% of BIR’s total collection goal of P1.066 trillion for the year.

She and President Aquino are both gun enthusiasts. She occasionally joins the president in the firing range on weekends. – Rappler.com

Click on the links below for more. 

• 22 official candidates for Chief Justice
• JBC to interview CJ candidates starting July 24
• 25 accept nominations for chief justice
• Questions for chief justice candidates
• JBC should review process of choosing CJ
• Besides JBC, Palace has judicial search committee
• CONVERSATIONS: How should the JBC choose the next chief justice? #SCWatch