Bernie Anabo Jr.
The message from the Bureau of Internal Revenue is getting louder—and harder to ignore:
BREAK THE TAX LAW, AND THE BIR WILL COME KNOCKING!
A month-long nationwide enforcement offensive has delivered a string of major seizures, inspections, closures and penalties involving fuel stations, illicit vape products, sabong operations and CRM/POS compliance, putting tax violators squarely in the crosshairs of the government’s revenue machinery.
At the center of the campaign is BIR Commissioner Atty. Charlito Martin R. Mendoza, whose directive is unmistakable: enforcement is not merely about catching violators—it is about making taxpayers understand that non-compliance carries consequences.
And working on the operational front is Deputy Commissioner for Operations Atty. Vener Baquiran, helping drive enforcement activities across the BIR’s nationwide field organization.
₱1.54-BILLION VAPE TAX LIABILITY—DESTROYED!
One of the most dramatic developments came from Revenue Region No. 6 – City of Manila, where BIR personnel completed the destruction of 240,550 illicit vape products carrying an estimated ₱1.54 billion tax liability.
These were not simply boxes of contraband sitting in storage.
The destruction meant the seized products could no longer find their way back onto the market.
That is enforcement with a very visible consequence.
SABONG MACHINES CAUGHT IN THE NET
The BIR also inspected 11 cockpit arenas across seven Revenue Regions in Metro Manila and South Luzon.
The result?
297 machines and devices were identified without a Permit to Use and were not included in BIR records.
For an agency tasked with protecting the government’s tax base, such findings raise a fundamental question:
How many revenue-generating activities can operate outside the tax radar before enforcement catches up?
Under Mendoza’s leadership, the answer appears increasingly clear:
The BIR is looking.
FUEL STATIONS: TESTED, CHECKED, LOCKED
The nationwide fuel-testing and marking operations covered 421 fuel stations across seven Revenue Regions.
Of these:
257 tested positive for fuel marking.
But 164 failed confirmatory testing—and were locked.
The operation generated ₱20.04 million in collections, while 137 establishments were identified for corrective marking.
That is not merely paperwork.
It is a warning to the fuel industry that compliance can be physically checked—and violations can trigger immediate enforcement action.
CRM/POS VIOLATIONS: 7,685 ESTABLISHMENTS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
The BIR’s CRM/POS Post-Evaluation from August 24 to 28, 2026 covered a staggering 7,685 establishments and 14,806 machines.
The findings were equally striking:
842 establishments were found with violations or discrepancies.
385 machines were sealed.
And ₱25.11 million in penalties were assessed, with ₱2.60 million already collected.
The figures demonstrate the scale of the BIR’s field operation—and the importance of sustained inspections rather than one-shot enforcement campaigns.
MENDOZA: ENFORCEMENT IS A DETERRENT
Commissioner Mendoza delivered perhaps the clearest explanation of the campaign’s objective.
“Enforcement is foremost a deterrent. They tell those who deliberately violate the law that there are consequences. They encourage those who have been remiss to return to compliance.”
That is the heart of the operation.
The BIR is not simply counting seizures.
It is trying to change behavior.
Mendoza further stressed that enforcement must protect taxpayers who comply with the law and prevent deliberate tax evasion from undermining the tax base.
BAQUIRAN: THE OPERATIONS FRONTLINE
Behind every nationwide enforcement program is an enormous operational machine—regional offices, revenue district offices, field personnel, inspectors and enforcement teams.
This is where Deputy Commissioner for Operations Atty. Vener Baquiran becomes particularly significant.
The numbers tell the story of an operation that had to be coordinated across multiple Revenue Regions and field offices.
Fuel testing.
Sabong inspections.
Vape seizure and destruction.
CRM/POS examinations.
Sealing of violating machines.
Assessment and collection of penalties.
That operational chain requires coordination from the national level down to the field.
THE TAX NET IS GETTING TIGHTER
For years, tax enforcement has often been criticized when violators appear to operate with little fear of consequences.
The latest BIR figures show an enforcement apparatus becoming more visible on the ground.
But the real test is not the first inspection.
It is what happens next.
Will follow-up inspections be sustained?
Will assessed penalties actually be collected?
Will seizure and forfeiture proceedings move forward when warranted?
Will cases be filed when evidence and law support them?
The BIR itself says follow-up inspections will continue and that seizure and forfeiture proceedings will proceed where applicable.
That is where enforcement credibility will ultimately be measured.
FIRM. FAIR. FEARLESS—BUT WITH DUE PROCESS
Mendoza has also emphasized that enforcement must remain “firm and fair”, professionally implemented and respectful of taxpayers’ rights.
That distinction matters.
A powerful tax agency must be tough enough to confront deliberate violations while ensuring that enforcement remains grounded in evidence, procedure and law.
The objective is not indiscriminate punishment.
It is compliance.
THE MESSAGE FROM MENDOZA AND BAQUIRAN
The nationwide figures send a blunt message to businesses and taxpayers:
REGISTER. REPORT. COMPLY. PAY WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES.
Because the BIR enforcement teams are no longer merely waiting behind desks for reports to arrive.
They are in the field.
They are inspecting.
They are testing.
They are sealing.
They are assessing.
And where the facts and law warrant it, they are pursuing seizures, forfeitures and cases.
With Commissioner Atty. Charlito Martin R. Mendoza setting the enforcement tone and Deputy Commissioner for Operations Atty. Vener Baquiran helping drive the operational machinery, the BIR’s month-long campaign has delivered one unmistakable headline:
TAX VIOLATORS: THE BIR IS WATCHING.
And for those who deliberately choose to ignore the law—
THE TAX NET IS CLOSING.
