IN BRIEF

South Korea seeking fugitives’ deportation

AFTER Japan, the government of South Korea is now seeking for the deportation of its three fugitive nationals.

Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano said Korean Ambassador Kim Inchul himself made the request during a courtesy call to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla.

“Secretary Remulla assured Ambassador Inchul that he would look into the request immediately and assist if ever the request warranted swift action,” Clavano said.

Clavano did not disclosed the names of the South Korean fugitives.

The DOJ official recalled that during the courtesy call, the Korean ambassador congratulated Secretary Remulla for the swift deportation of four Japanese fugitives.

“They then spoke about the request by the Korean government to likewise have three (3) Korean nationals deported back to South Korea. The official request, the Ambassador mentioned, was already sent by his consul-general,” Clavano said

Earlier, Japanese Ambassador Koshikawa Kazuhiko had sent Remulla a letter which expressed the Japanese government’s gratitude in helping in the deportation of the four fugitive Japanese who were detained at the facility of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Taguig City. Rey E. Requejo

Makati City government, the GMA News report said.

Earlier, Makati City ordered the closure of Smart headquarters for operating without a business permit since 2019.

The city government issued the closure order on Feb. 23 against the headquarters, located at 6799 Ayala Avenue in Barangay San Lorenzo, Makati City.

“You are hereby commanded to cease and desist from further operating your business establishment until such time compliance with the said ordinance is made,” stated the order.

The company said its legal and tax teams are in talks with the Makati City local government over the alleged P3.2 billion tax de- ficiencies and for operating without a business permit since 2019.

“Smart remains committed to complying with Makati City’s local tax ordinances, and with applicable national laws, in respect of local taxation,” the company said.

“Smart has filed the appropriate cases to resolve outstanding legal issues; these cases remain pending,” it added.

The company also assured the public that its services will remain available and accessible to its subscribers.

The local government said Smart “failed to settle or obtain any relief from the courts over its franchise tax deficiency worth over P3.2 billion covering the period January 2012 to December 2015.”

In 2016, the Office of the City Treasurer (OCT) launched an examination of the company’s tax payments and documents.

Makati City Administrator Claro Certeza said the city asked the company to submit

BOC records

a breakdown of paid revenues and business taxes for all of its branches nationwide but it refused to present documents.

Smart Communications filed a petition for review at the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 133 in 2019 seeking to nullify the OCT’s notice of assessment.

The RTC granted the Makati government’s motion for the production and inspection of Smart’s documents.

On May 31, 2019, Smart Communications opposed the city government’s motion and challenged the RTC’s decision before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).

However, the CTA denied the company’s petition and affirmed the RTC’s approval of the Makati government’s motion in 2022.

The telecommunications company said that the Makati City government has “no jurisdiction to audit the company’s financial statements and operations in other branches nationwide.

P1.19-billion surplus in its Feb. earnings

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) has recorded a surplus of nearly P1.19 billion in its revenue collection for the month of February.

Citing its preliminary report released Friday, the Bureau exceeded its P61.82 billion target by collecting P63.015 billion in revenue last month.

Last month’s collection was also higher by P3.58 billion than the P59.43 billion collection in the same month last year.

In a statement, Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio vowed “to continue to innovate and implement sustainable reforms to boost the Bureau’s collection efficiency, which will contribute to the expansion and recovery of our national economy.”

“For this to be possible, we will also prioritize fostering a healthier trade environment through enhanced and modernized mechanisms for efficient trade facilitation and improved Customs operations for all our stakeholders,” he added in a statement.

The BOC also reported that as of Feb. 28, it already garnered a total revenue of P133.380 billion up by P8.641 billion from its target of P124.738 billion for the first two months of the year.

Aligned with the overarching directives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Rubio leads the BOC in boosting revenue collection, enhancing trade facilitation, and strengthening border protection while upholding good governance and curbing corruption.