Creation of Public Assistance Units in the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue

April 20, 1972 REVENUE MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 19-72 SUBJECT : Creation of Public Assistance Units in the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue TO : All Officials, Employees and Others Concerned For the information and guidance of officials and employees of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, there is quoted hereunder the provisions of Department Special Order No. 3-72 dated February 16, 1972 and Revenue Special Order No. 224-72 dated April 18, 1972, the subject matter of which is the Creation of Public Assistance Units in the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, respectively: "DEPARTMENT SPECIAL ORDER NO. 3-72" "In the interest of the public service and in line with the President's concern with the services that citizens get from the government, a Public Assistance Unit is hereby created in the Department of Finance to render assistance to private citizens dealing with the government in order to expedite and/or hasten action on their problems concerning their official transactions with this Department. "The Public Assistance Unit shall be headed by Mr. Antonio Belicena with Mr. Jose Osorio and Miss Flora Zialcita as assistants. They shall hold office in a place at the fourth floor of the Finance Building which shall be accessible to the public during office hours. "Any assistance sought, except complaints, on matters related to the Department of Finance (Proper), Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Customs, Office of the Insurance Commissioner, Bureau of the Treasury, Custody and Disposal Administration (CADA), Embroidery and Apparel Control and Inspection Board and provincial and city treasury offices will be entertained by this Unit. "The Public Assistance Unit shall enlist the active assistance of bureaus, offices and agencies concerned on the respective cases brought to its attention for immediate corresponding action. All actions of the Public Assistance Unit shall be accomplished with all convenient speed with proper advice to the party concerned of the action taken thereon. "All officials of the Department and bureaus and offices under it are hereby informed accordingly of this Order for their information and guidance and dissemination to their respective personnel. It is enjoined that this Order be given as wide publicity as possible in order to give proper notice to the general public in the interest of greater efficiency in the government service. "The Heads of bureaus and offices under this Department are also advised to form their own Public Assistance Units so that the public may avail of their services in case they have official dealings with them. "This Order shall take effect immediately. (Sgd.)"PEDRO M. ALMANZOR Acting Secretary" "REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 224-72 "The exigencies of the revenue service so requiring and in line with the President's concern that the citizens get from the government the services that is expected to be rendered by the latter to the former and in coordination with the Department of Finance, a Public Assistance Unit is hereby created in the Bureau of Internal Revenue to render assistance to citizens dealing with the government in order to expedite and/or hasten actions on their problems concerning their official transactions with this bureau. The Public Assistance Unit shall be headed by Mr. Eufracio D. Santos with Messrs. Manuel del Rosario, Efren Castaneda and Vicente Sanchez as members. From time to time as the needs of the service may require, other employees of the bureau will be added to the Public Assistance Unit. "The unit shall act on all requests for assistance except complaints coming directly from private citizens, the Department of Finance and other offices under it and other government offices. Said requests shall be immediately attended to by the said Unit and accomplished with all convenience and speed with proper advice to the party concerned of the action taken thereon. "Mr. Eufracio D. Santos as Head of the Unit shall also act concurrently as the Liaison Officer to the Public Assistance Unit in the Department of Finance. "The Unit shall hold office in the Office of the Commissioner. Departments and divisions in the National Office are hereby instructed to direct their communications relative to requests for assistance or solutions to problems direct to the Unit." "(Sgd.) MISAEL P. VERA Commissioner of Internal Revenue" In accordance with the provisions of the abovementioned orders, all officials and employees of the Bureau are hereby enjoined to follow strictly the procedures outlined therein so that all requests for assistance can be immediately and appropriately attended to. To take care of requests for assistance coming from citizens in the provinces which will take time if they will still be attended to by the Unit in the National Office, the following procedure on public assistance in regional offices is hereby promulgated for the guidance and compliance by all concerned: 1. A Public Assistance Unit composed of not less than 3 members should be created in the twenty (20) regional offices of the Bureau which unit shall hold office in or near the Office of the Regional Director; 2. The Head of the Unit must be knowledgeable of the operations of the regional office, its branches, district offices and collection units and shall have access at all times to the Office of the Director and/or all other units of the region; 3. Requests for assistance received from the public by Collection Agents Offices and Revenue District Offices shall be immediately attended to by the said offices if the solution to the said requests can be effected immediately in their respective offices. The action taken thereon together with the request made should be forwarded to the Public Assistance Unit in the regional office for review; 4. Requests for assistance received by the abovementioned offices the solutions to which is not within the jurisdiction of the Collection Agents Offices or Revenue District Offices shall be immediately forwarded to the public assistance unit in the region so that appropriate action can be taken thereon by the latter; 5. All requests which cannot be solved, determined or acted upon in the regional office shall be forwarded to the Public Assistance Unit in the National Office; 6. A monthly report of activities of the unit in the regional office including those activities attended to by Collection Agents Offices and Revenue District Offices should be submitted to the Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, attention: Public Assistance Unit, not later than the 10th of the month following. All employees of the Bureau are hereby enjoined to observed and comply with the requirements of this circular. MISAEL P. VERA Commissioner of Internal Revenue