BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Bureau of Internal Revenue Cordillera reminds taxpayers to file and pay the right taxes before the April 15 deadline and help propel the country’s economy, which is currently being challenged by local and global issues.
“Please file your returns and pay your taxes before April 15. We encourage all our taxpayers to file their returns early, file the correct sales transactions, and pay the correct amount of taxes to the government,” BIR-CAR Regional Director Joseph Catapia said at a kapihan forum launching the 2026 regional tax campaign.
He cited every taxpayer’s role in raising revenue to keep the country’s economy afloat.
For 2026, the BIR’s national target collection is set at P3,321 Trillion, of which P11.059 billion is the target assigned for BIR-CAR. For the first two months of the year, revenue collection in Cordillera is around P1.61 billion.
In 2025, the BIR’s total collection reached P3,1054 trillion, surpassing its national target of P3.1019 trillion by 11 percent.
Of the total revenue collected, taxpayers in the Cordillera contributed P10.34 billion, Catapia said.
As BIR continues to work on achieving the target revenue collection for the year, Catapia said that under the leadership of Commissioner Martin Mendoza, the agency is continuously innovating policies and procedures to improve governance, integrity of tax collection, and easy access to taxpayer services.
According to the director, the BIR is pursuing the D.A.R.E.S. (Digital and Data Transformation, Audit Reform and Accountability, Revenue collection and Revenue base Protection, Employee Empowerment and Welfare Promotion, and Service Excellence and Stakeholder Engagement) five-point reform and legacy agenda for 2025 and beyond.
The BIR currently has the eBiz Lounge in partnership with local government units. An electronic system installed in the BOSS (Business One-Stop-Shop of LGUS), which taxpayers can use in income tax return filings and online payments.
The BIR-CAR has already installed eBiz Lounge in half of the LGUs under its jurisdiction, targeting complete installation in all 57 municipalities and one city before the end of the first half of the year.
Catapia also informed that BIR – CAR is implementing the “Rangtay iti Serbisyo” (Bridge of Services) Program, wherein, given the unique geographical setup of Cordillera, a team of revenue officers is going into municipalities and barangays to bring the BIR services and information campaign to the people. **JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
