I was cleared, says ex-BIR man

MANILA, Philippines—Percival Salazar had long retired as an assistant commissioner at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), but he is dogged to this day by cases filed against him that had already been dismissed.

Salazar lamented that up to now online news still carried stories about his being charged before the Ombudsman and the Office of the President (OP) for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

But the cases had been dismissed in 2004 and 2007, he said.

“My relatives know that I had been cleared. But news of the charges are still there. I feel bad. When the charges came out, we were headlined. Our pictures were plastered on the front pages,” said the former commissioner, 73, who spoke with and furnished the Inquirer copies of the resolutions.

Salazar worked at the BIR for 41 years, rising through the ranks to become assistant commissioner, a position he held until he retired in 2004.

In January 2004, the OP, citing lack of evidence, dismissed the charges filed by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism against him for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials.

PCIJ’s complaint stemmed from the alleged failure of Salazar to file a true and detailed statement of assets and liabilities, which should have included references to certain properties in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

In November 2007, the Ombudsman also dismissed the charges against Salazar for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Republic Act No. 1379 and falsification of public documents for lack of probable cause.

The complainant, intelligence officer Napoleon Guerrero of the Department of Finance’s Central Management Information Office, accused Salazar of conniving with his wife and children to conceal four parcels of land whose worth, he claimed, was beyond the official’s income.

Guerrero alleged that Salazar used Phoenix Printing Philippines Inc., in which his wife and children were majority shareholders, as a dummy corporation to conceal the properties.  Salazar denied owning the properties which he said were acquired by the corporation.