FINANCE Undersecretary Charlito Mendoza has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), replacing Romeo Lumagui Jr., as confirmed by Presidential Communications Office Sec. Dave Gomez on Wednesday night.
The appointment paper, dated November 12, 2025, and signed by the President, officially designates Mendoza as the new head of the BIR. Details regarding the reasons for the change in leadership and any potential movements of other finance officials were not immediately available.
Lumagui’s departure comes just months after the BIR announced that it had surpassed its tax collection target for the first half of 2025. In August, the BIR reported collections of P1.554 trillion between January and June, exceeding its target by P4.594 billion. This represented a 14.11% year-on-year increase, or P192.143 billion. The first semester collection also accounted for over 48% of the BIR’s full-year target of P3.232 trillion.
Notably, just last week, the BIR, under Lumagui’s leadership, filed a tax evasion complaint with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza. Lumagui stated that the complaint involved over P1.6 billion in income tax deficiencies from 2020 to 2024.
The BIR investigation revealed that the three former officials allegedly received kickbacks from anomalous or ghost flood control projects and laundered the funds through casinos. The BIR’s lifestyle check and review of the officials’ Sworn Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) uncovered disproportionate exchanges of cash for casino chips relative to their declared income.
Mendoza’s appointment as BIR Commissioner comes at a critical time, as the government continues its efforts to combat corruption and improve tax collection efficiency.
