THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed a criminal case before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo for alleged tax evasion and failure to file income tax returns, with estimated deficiencies exceeding P1 billion.
The case is the largest among five filed by the BIR on Thursday, which collectively involve estimated tax deficiencies of more than P1.46 billion.
BIR Director Charlito Martin Mendoza said the bureau “will continue to pursue the filing and prosecution of cases against tax evaders, illicit traders, and delinquent taxpayers.” Guo was charged for alleged violations of Section 254 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997, as amended, or Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax, and Section 255, or Failure to File Return and Pay Tax, covering taxable years 2019 to 2023.
The BIR alleged that Guo failed to file annual income tax returns for five consecutive years despite substantial financial activity and asset acquisitions during the period.
The investigation was triggered in part by Guo’s testimony during a May 22, 2024 Senate hearing related to the raid on a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) facility in Bamban, where she acknowledged ownership of various real properties, motor vehicles, and interests in several corporations.
The BIR subsequently conducted an extensive probe into her financial records and identified significant assets, expenditures, and transactions, including real estate holdings, motor vehicles, a helicopter, bank transactions, shares of stock, and other acquisitions.
“The BIR evaluated the available records and found that the submitted documents were insufficient to explain the magnitude of the expenditures and transactions identified during the investigation,” Mendoza said.
The filing is part of the BIR’s Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) Program.
The latest batch of complaints brings to 135 the total RATE cases filed by the BIR before the DOJ in the first five months of 2026.
