Malacañang on Monday did not give a direct answer when asked why former Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. was removed from his post earlier this month.
“Well, lahat naman po ng gabinete ay they are serving at the pleasure of the President, so president’s prerogative po ito,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Palace reporters.?
“Wala po akong masasabi patungkol po diyan. Malamang-lamang po ay kinakailangan lang pong magbago ng liderato para mas maging maganda pa ang magiging trabaho at outcome or magiging resulta ng BIR,” she added when pressed why the President was dissatisfied with Lumagui’s performance.
Lumagui’s exit from the BIR was not announced, but Malacañang confirmed that lawyer Charlito Martin “Charlie” Mendoza has been appointed as Lumagui’s replacement.
In an earlier statement, Lumagui earlier issued a statement saying that he will be “be handing over the reins of the bureau… in a much better state than it was three years ago,” but made no mention of the reason for his removal from the agency.
