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THE job
is considered one of the toughest within the Department
of Finance (DOF) and has proven very costly for its most
recent occupant.
And yet,
five people want former finance undersecretary Gaudencio
Mendoza’s seat as chief of revenue operations, the one
that cost him the job soon after ruling on an excise-tax
case that caused British American Tobacco (BAT) to
withdraw a job-creating $25-million production line.
Persons
with knowledge of the shortlist of candidates said
Friday that Philippine Stock Exchange general counsel
Ruel Refran is one of five people being eyed for the
job.
Refran
is considered the strongest contender not only because
of his legal background but also because of his supposed
closeness to former senator Ralph Recto.
Recto,
who pushed hard while in the Senate for many of the
economic reforms that enabled the economy to obtain
sustained confidence of the country’s creditors and
investors, has been speculated on to succeed Finance
Secretary Margarito Teves at the helm, but has
repeatedly declined comment.
Teves
helped steer the DOF through some of the most
challenging times, overseeing an organization whose tax
collectors cannot explain the drop in revenue effort
against an economy that expanded by 7.3 percent in terms
of the gross domestic product last year.
Under
Teves, the Bureau of Internal Revenue posted a revenue
effort of 10.71 percent in 2007 versus 10.8 percent in
2006, helping limit last year’s anticipated P63-billion
deficit to actual shortfall of only P12.8 billion.
Informed
sources also said the BIR assistant commissioner for
inspection services, Estela Sales, and the assistant
commissioner for legal services, James Roldan, were
similarly shortlisted.
Another
lawyer, Danilo Uy, who currently works for the Office of
the Solicitor General, is also on that shortlist,
according to the sources.
Then
there is Catherine Manahan of the premier accounting
firm Isla Lipana, the sources added.
Finance
Undersecretary Gil Beltran, who normally helps craft
fiscal policy, has temporarily taken over
Mendoza’s
responsibilities till Malacañang shall have announced
its choice for the post soon. |
