Conduct Of The Search For The B'Whiz Kids

June 6, 1997 REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 33-97 TO : All Revenue Officials and Others concerned SUBJECT : Conduct Of The Search For The B'Whiz Kids I. OBJECTIVES This Order is issued to: 1. Prescribe the guidelines and mechanics for the search for the B'Whiz Kids at the District, Regional and National Office levels; and 2. Define the roles and responsibilities of revenue officials and personnel involved in the search for the B'Whiz Kids. II. BACKGROUND The search for the B'Whiz Kids is a nationwide event that is conducted in furtherance of the External Communication Program of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. The objectives of the B'Whiz Kids project are the following: LLphil 1. To further enhance the youth's awareness and knowledge of the country's tax system; 2. To instill in the minds of the youth, as future taxpayers, the relevance of taxation in the development of the country; and 3. To mobilize the youth as partners in the Bureau's tax campaign initiatives. The Bureau's search for the B'Whiz Kids is open to all college students who are currently enrolled in any college/university. In order to join the contest, interested participants can register at their respective colleges or universities within the period that will be specified in B'Whiz Kids posters. Students registering must present their college ID and current registration form at their school's Registrar/Administration Office. There are three phases in the search for the B'Whiz Kids, namely: (1) the District Elimination; (2) the Regional Competition; and (3) the Tax Quiz National Finals. The first phase, which is the District Elimination, shall be conducted simultaneously in all Revenue District Offices nationwide. The top three (3) scorers in each District shall then compete in the Tax Quiz during the Regional Competition after undergoing an on-the-spot essay writing and interview in the respective Regional Office. There shall be one (1) winner per Regional Office who shall be determined through the following criteria: 1. Score in the Essay Writing 25% 2. Score in the Interview 25% 3. Score in the Tax Quiz 50% Using the Overall Score as basis in the ranking, the top four (4) Regional Winners shall then compete for the Commissioner and three (3) Deputy Commissioner positions in the Tax Quiz National Finals to be conducted in the BIR National Office during the last week of July. Prizes at stake for the B'Whiz Kids project are the following: 1. Cash prizes for all the Regional Winners and the B'Whiz Kids 2. Certificates/plaques for the participants/winners 3. Trophies for the schools of the Regional Winners Questions for the Annual BIR Tax Quiz shall be based on the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended. III. GUIDELINES A. Conduct of Information Drive The success of the B'Whiz Kids project can be measured in terms of the number of college students who registered and actually participated in the contest. Towards this end, the Regional Offices, through its Revenue District Offices (RDOs), shall have to conduct information drives in coordination with the deans/heads of schools to generate interest on the event. Such activities shall include the following: 1. Dissemination of letter-invitations to the deans/heads of schools (see Annex A for the pro-forma letter) 2. Distribution/posting of B'Whiz Kids posters (to be provided by the Planning Division) in schools within the jurisdiction of the region. Relative to the foregoing, a report on the information drive conducted by each District Office shall have to be submitted by the Revenue District Officers to their Regional Director, for compilation and transmittal to the Chief, Planning Division not later than the end of June every year . The format in Annex B shall be used for this purpose. B. Registration Registration of interested participants to the B'Whiz Kids project shall be done in the respective schools of students using the format shown in Annex A-1. The list of registered participants shall have to be gathered by the Revenue District Offices at least one (1) week before the scheduled conduct of the District Elimination. Xerox copy of the lists gathered shall then be forwarded to the Regional Director concerned, for compilation and submission to the Planning Division representatives during the conduct of the Regional Competition. C. Conduct of the District Elimination Phase 1 of the BIR Tax Quiz, which is the District Elimination, shall be conducted simultaneously in all Revenue District Offices nationwide. Only registered participants (those included in the list submitted by the head of schools) shall be allowed to join the District Elimination. For this purpose, the college ID and the current registration form of each participant must be presented to and checked by the assigned RDO personnel before a student is allowed to sign-in on the Registration Form (see Annex C for the format) on the day of the contest. Upon registration, a number tag shall be given to a participant which shall be his/her only form of identification during the entire duration of the contest. Questions for the District Elimination shall be prepared in the respective Regional Office under close supervision by the Regional Director. The questionnaire, which shall be distributed to the Revenue District Officers, shall contain-fifteen (15) questions worth one (1) point each and an additional five (5) questions worth three (3) points each. The time allotted for the answering of the questionnaire shall be only ten (10) minutes . Conduct of the District Elimination shall be administered by the Revenue District Offices (RDOs). In view thereof, preserving the integrity of the contest shall be the primary responsibility of the Revenue District Officers. The contest mechanics for the District Elimination is shown in Annex D. The top three (3) scorers in the District Elimination shall be declared as the RDO's representatives who will qualify in the Regional Competition. Relative thereto, an allowance, of fixed amount, shall be given to the top three (3) scorers to pay for the transportation and food expenses that will be incurred by the students in going to the Regional Offices. Said allowance shall be provided to the RDOs by the Regional Offices through a fund transfer to be made by the Accounting Division of the BIR National Office. A Certificate of Conduct of the District Elimination showing the top three scorers shall have to be prepared by the Revenue District Officers for submission to their Regional Director not later than three (3) days after the date of conduct of the contest . The format in Annex E shall be used for this purpose. D. Conduct of the Regional Competition Based on the above-mentioned Certificate of Conduct submitted by the Revenue District Officers, the Regional Directors shall prepare a Master List (see Annex F for the format) of all the top three (3) District scorers in the Region. Said Master List shall be submitted to the Planning Division representatives who will be arriving in the Region to provide assistance in the conduct as well as document the results of the Regional Competition. In order to prepare for the Regional Competition, the following tasks shall have to be accomplished by the Regional Offices: 1. Constitution of a committee for the Regional Competition to be headed by the Regional Director and composed of the Assistant Regional Director, as vice chairperson, and all the Division Chiefs. The Committee's responsibilities shall be as follows: a. Evaluate (grade) the essays written by the participants; b. Interview the participants based on the essay they have written and give the corresponding grade thereof, and c. Act as judges who would decide on the validity of answers given during the Regional Tax Quiz. 2. Assignment of staff to act as: a) Quiz Master (1) b) Proctors (at least 3) c) Tally Masters (at least 2) d) Timer (1) e) Ushers/Usherettes 3. Provision of measures to manage the number of audience during the conduct of the Regional Competition (e.g. distribution of passes for the audience, etc.), taking into account the size of the chosen venue for the contest: 4. Preparation of the venue (including the physical arrangement and the sound system) 5. Preparation and provision of the following materials needed for the conduct of the Tax Quiz: a) Manila Paper (to be used as tally sheet) b) Pentel Pens c) Chalk Board (Could use 1/8 size illustration board) d) Chalk e) Eraser f) Stop-watch g) Buzzer h) Number tags i) Paper j) Ballpens 6. Preparation of the Tally Sheet (see Annex G for the format) and the Registration Form (see Annex C for the format) to be used during the Regional Competition. The cash prize of the Regional Winner shall be provided to the Regional Office through a fund transfer to be made by the Accounting Division of the BIR National Office. The certificates for the winner and the participants and the trophy for the school of the Regional Winner, as well as the questions for the Regional Tax Quiz, shall be hand-carried by the Planning Division representatives. The date of conduct of the Regional Competition shall be communicated through a memorandum to be transmitted by the Planning Division. Awarding of prices shall be done right after the contest. prLL The mechanics for the search for the B'Whiz Kids at the Regional Level is shown in Annex H. E. Conduct of the Tax Quiz National Finals The Tax Quiz National Finals shall be participated in by the top four (4) Regional Winners who shall be competing for the Commissioner and three (3) Deputy Commissioner positions. The details (i.e. schedule, arrangements to be made, etc.) regarding the National Finals shall be communicated to the concerned Regional Directors through a memorandum to be transmitted by the Planning Division. Likewise, preparations for the Tax Quiz National Finals, including the documentation of the results shall be the responsibility of the Planning Division. The contest mechanics for the Tax Quiz National Finals is shown in Annex I. IV. Effectivity This Order shall take effect immediately. LIWAYWAY VINZONS-CHATO Commissioner of Internal Revenue ANNEX A ________________ ________________ ________________ Sir/Madam: In line with the ___ anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and in furtherance of the Bureau's continuing efforts to enhance the youth's knowledge and awareness of the country's tax system, a nationwide Tax Quiz open to all college students shall be conducted in line with the search for this year's B'Whiz Kids. Relative to the foregoing, we would like to invite students currently enrolled in your school to join this worthwhile endeavor. Posters would be provided by our Office to further disseminate information regarding the contest. The list of registered participants shall have to be submitted not later than June __, 199_ to the undersigned at Revenue District Office No. __, _________ : The attached format can be used for the said purpose. On the day of the contest, the participants shall be required to present their school ID and current registration form for validation purposes. The top three scorers in the district shall be qualified to participate in the Regional Competition. The student who will be declared as the Regional Winner shall be awarded a cash prize of P 5,000 and a Certificate of Recognition, while the school of the winner shall be awarded a trophy. For more information, please do not hesitate to call us at Tel. Nos. ____________ . We would highly appreciate any effort your school would exert in making this event successful. Thank you very much. cdll Very truly yours, __________________________ Name of Revenue District Officer Revenue District No. ___ __________________________ ANNEX B ANNEX C ANNEX D CONTEST MECHANICS FOR THE DISTRICT ELIMINATION 1. Registered participants shall be given a questionnaire containing fifteen (15) questions worth one (1) point each. 2. Reading and answering of the questionnaire can start only once the proctor gives a signal to do so. 3. The participants shall be given the chance to answer the questionnaire in 10 minutes . 4. If the participant was able to answer all the 15 questions before the end of 10 minutes, one can proceed answering the additional five (5) questions worth three (3) points each. 5. At the end of 10 minutes, when a signal is given by the proctor, writing of answer should stop and all questionnaires should be given to the assigned revenue personnel. 6. Answering of the questionnaire before and after the 10-minute period shall result to a deduction of 3 points. 7. Wrong spelling shall be considered as an incorrect answer. 8. The participant who is found and proven to be cheating shall immediately be disqualified from the contest. 9. The top three (3) scorers shall be declared as the District's representatives in the search for the B'Whiz Kids at the Regional level. 10. In case of questions/clarifications regarding the answers of the contestants, a Committee, headed by the Revenue District Officer and composed of the Assistant Revenue District Officer and the Unit Heads of the RDO, shall decide on the validity of the answers given. The decision of the Committee shall be considered as final and irrevocable. ANNEX E C E R T I F I C A T I O N This is to certify that the following student had been declared as the top three (3) District scorers of the 199_ BIR Tax Quiz (Phase 1) held on ___________ in Revenue District Office No. __, ____________: ANNEX F ANNEX G ANNEX G-1 ANNEX H MECHANICS FOR THE SEARCH FOR THE B'WHIZ KIDS AT THE REGIONAL-LEVEL A. Essay Writing Only the top three (3) scorers per Revenue District Office are qualified to participate in the search for the B'Whiz Kids. There are three (3) stages in the search for the B'Whiz Kids, the weight of each is as follows: Stage 1 Essay Writing (25%) Stage 2 Interview (25%) Stage 3 Tax Quiz (50%) The essay writing shall be on the spot and shall have the theme "Taxes builds the nation's progress". The essay should contain at least 100 words and should be written in English. The participants shall be given one (1) hour and 30 minutes to write their essay. The essay written by the participants as well as their interview shall be graded by a Committee which shall consist of the Regional Director, Assistant Regional Director and the Division Chiefs of the Regional Office. The essay written shall be graded based on the following criteria: a) Relevance to the theme 40% b) Clarity 30% c) Conciseness 30% B. Interview The interview shall be based on the essay written by the participants and shall last for about 10 to 15 minutes per participant. The interview shall be graded based on the following criteria: a) Clarity of answer 50% b) Conciseness 50% C. Tax Quiz Only the top three (3) scorers in each Revenue District Office are qualified to participate in the Regional Tax Quiz. There are three (3) categories in the Regional Tax Quiz, namely: a) the EASY category; b) the AVERAGE category; and c) the DIFFICULT category. For each category, ten (10) questions would be asked, thus bringing to thirty (30) the total number of questions for the Tax Quiz. For every correct answer, ten (10) points would be given for the EASY category, fifteen (15) points for the AVERAGE category and twenty (20) points for the DIFFICULT category, the total of which is 450 points. The contestants shall be given the chance to answer the EASY questions in 10 seconds , the AVERAGE questions in 15 seconds and DIFFICULT questions in 20 seconds . Questions shall be read twice by the Quiz Master. Note taking shall be allowed only for questions involving computation. Only the final answer to the questions shall be written on the chalkboards provided. Contestants can start writing their answer only after the first ring of the buzzer. After the second ring of the buzzer, writing of answers in the chalkboards should stop. The contestants would then be asked to show their answer first to the Tax Quiz Committee before the Quiz Master announces the correct answer. The first instance that a contestant violates any of the aforesaid rules, he/she shall be given a warning. After the third warning, the contestants shall be automatically disqualified from the contest. Wrong spelling shall be considered as an incorrect answer. A contestant who is found and proven to be cheating shall immediately be disqualified from the Tax Quiz. For this purpose, proctors, composed of staff from the Regional Office are assigned to ensure that proper scoring and that no copying of answers and other forms of cheating shall occur. Coaching from the audience shall not be tolerated. Violators of this rule shall be asked to leave the Tax Quiz premises immediately. In order to ensure proper scoring by the tally masters, answers written in the chalkboard shall be erased only upon instruction of the Quiz Master. The point system shall be used during the competition which means that points earned in the Easy, Average and Difficult categories would be added to determine the total score of each contestant. In case of questions/clarifications regarding the answers of the contestant, a Committee, headed by the Regional Director and composed of the Assistant Regional Director and the Regional Office Division Chiefs, shall decide on the validity of the answers given. The decision of the Committee shall be considered as final and irrevocable. D. Determination of the Regional Winner Participants shall be ranked based on their Overall Score which shall be determined by adding the weighted score per stage. In case of a tie in the no. 1 position, tie-breaking questions shall be asked until the tie is broken. Points earned during the tie-breaking portion shall not be part of the total points earned by the Regional Winner. ANNEX I CONTEST MECHANICS FOR THE TAX QUIZ NATIONAL FINALS 1. Only the top (4) Regional Winners are qualified to participate in the Tax Quiz National Finals. 2. The Tax Quiz National Finals is composed of three (3) phases. Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the contest shall consist of ten (10) questions each, with Phase 3 consisting only of five (5) questions. 3. For every correct answer, ten (10) points would be given for the Phase 1 questions, fifteen (15) points for the Phase 2 questions and twenty (20) points for the Phase 3 questions, the total of which is 350 points . 4. The finalists shall be given the chance to answer the Phase 1 questions in 15 seconds , the Phase 2 questions in 30 seconds and the Phase 3 questions in 90 seconds . 5. Questions shall be read twice by the Quiz master. 6. Note taking shall be allowed only for questions involving computation. 7. The finalists shall be allowed to use calculators only during Phrase 3 of the contest. 8. Wrong spelling shall be considered as an incorrect answer. 9. Only the final answer to questions shall be written on the chalkboards provided. 10. The finalists can start writing their answer only after the first ring of the buzzer. After the second ring of the buzzer, writing of answers in the chalkboards should stop. The finalists would then be asked to show their answers first to the audience before the Quiz Master announces the correct answer. 11. The first instance that a finalist violates any of the aforesaid rules, he/she shall be given a warning. After the third warning, the finalist shall be automatically disqualified from the competition. 12. A finalist who is found and proven to be cheating shall immediately be disqualified from the Tax Quiz. For this purpose, proctors, composed of staff from the Planning Division are assigned to ensure that proper scoring and that no copying of answers and other forms of cheating shall occur. 13. Coaching from the audience shall not be tolerated. Violators of this rule shall be asked to leave the Tax Quiz premises immediately. 14. In order to ensure proper scoring by the tally masters, answers written in the chalkboard shall be erased only upon instruction of the Quiz Master. 15. The point system shall be used in the conduct of the Tax Quiz National Finals which means that points earned during the three (3) phases of the competition shall be added to determine the total score of each finalist. 16. The finalist with the highest total score shall win the Commissioner position, with the remaining three (3) finalists winning the Deputy Commissioner positions. 17. In case of a tie in the No. 1 position, tie-breaker questions shall be asked until the tie is broken. 18. In case of questions/clarifications regarding the answers of the contestants, a Committee was constituted to decide on the validity of the answers given. The decision of the Committee shall be considered as final and irrevocable.