From taxes to Tom Rodriguez: The lighter side of BIR commissioner Kim Henares

Stern, strict, and one not to be crossed — that’s what most Filipinos think of Kim Henares, the controversial commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

In reality, Henares is serious but likes a good laugh. During her recent visit to GMA News TV’s “Tonight with Arnold Clavio,” the commissioner talked about how she met her husband, her old job at the World Bank, and her favorite soap operas.

Here are some highlights from her laughter-filled interview.

On collecting taxes: “Wala namang personalan ‘yan.”
“Nagawa mo na bang hindi magbayad ng buwis?” asked Clavio. Henares smiled: “Hindi.”

The BIR collected over one trillion pesos in taxes last year. However, Henares has drawn criticism for pursuing the tax evasion case of well-loved boxer Manny Pacquiao. “Kung mayroon tayong kinikita, dapat nagbabayad tayo ng buwis,” she says. “Wala namang personalan ‘yan. Kung tama ang binabayad natin, walang problema.”

To those who question why she doesn’t seem to be going after prominent officials and businessmen, she says, “Iba ‘yung batas ng pambubuwis, iba yung graft and corruption.” The commissioner adds: “Alam n’yo, 240 cases na ang na-file namin … worth more than 50 billion pesos. Talagang nagta-target kami ng mga hindi nagbabayad ng buwis. Unfortunately, syempre ang media may binebentang diyaro at airtime … hindi naman kami pwedeng magsabi sa media kung ano ang ire-report nila.”

This 2014, the BIR is requiring all self-employed individuals to be registered with the BIR and issue receipts; something that many small retailers and contractual workers are unhappy with. Clavio asked Henares, “Eh paano naman ‘yung mga sari-sari store tsaka magtataho? Pati sila, magi-issue ng resibo kasi self-employed?”

Henares answered, “Dapat rehistrado kayo. Whether or not may babayaran kayong buwis is another issue … that depends on the P50,000 personal exemption.”

On her job: “Ibigay natin ‘yung lahat ng magagawa natin [sa bayan].”
Did you know that Henares began working with the BIR in 2010? Before that, she worked for the World Bank, which was an admittedly higher-paying and less stressful job.

“Isa lang naman ho ang dahilan,” Henares explains. “I just think na may six years na window of opportunity ang Pilipinas, kaya I should do my share and take advantage of the opportunity. Ibigay natin ‘yung lahat ng magagawa natin [sa bayan] para makamtan natin ‘yung pangarap … ayoko ring tumanda at isiping ‘ano kaya ang nangyari sa Pilipinas kung binigay ko [oras] ko?’”

“I’m happy with what I’m doing for my country. Itong ginagawa ko, hindi naman para sa sarili kundi para sa mamamayan at para sa bansa … kaya ako natutuwa.”

On marriage: “He’s my first and last boyfriend.”
Henares and her husband, Daniel, dated for over 20 years before they got married in 2001. “Nagawa mo na bang mag-kiss sa sinehan?” teased Clavio. “Oo … pero hindi naman ‘yung torrid!” she answered with a laugh.

“Hindi ko hinihingi paliwanag mo!” joked Clavio.

Daniel and Kim Henares were classmates in the Ateneo Law School. “We started as the best of friends in 1982,” she recalls. “He’s my first and last boyfriend.”

Henares describes her husband as “mabait, matalino, and a good conversationalist.” The couple–who both enjoy cars, motorcycles, and visiting the firing range– lived together for around three years before getting married. “Pareho rin sa buhay mag-asawa. So kung masarap ang buhay mag-asawa, ganun din. Kung may problema sa buhay mag-asawa, ganun din.”

On favorite actors: “Si Tom Rodriguez!”
The BIR commish likes Tom Rodriguez, who rose to fame with the GMA-7 drama My Husband’s Lover. “Magaling kasi siyang umarte. Hindi ako nanonood ng soap opera maliban sa My Husband’s Lover,” she says. “Dati, ang hinahangaan ko ay sina Fernando Poe Jr. at Eddie Mesa.”

On driving: “Bihira...mainitin kasi ulo ko.”
“Hindi na ako masyadong nagda-drive,” admits Henares. “Mainitin kasi ulo ko. Baka pagdating ko sa opisina, silang lahat naman ang mahihirapan.”

Henares and her husband enjoy cars and the mechanics behind them, but she shares that only one of their collection was purchased brand new. “All our cars are second, third, or fourth-hand,” she says.

On the Philippines: “Dapat minamahal natin.”
Because of her reputation as a strict commissioner, Henares has many haters online. How does she feel about that? “Wala akong social media accounts kaya hindi ko nababasa [ang sinasabi nila],” she says.

Her message for the Filipino people? Let’s work together. “Dapat minamahal natin ‘yung bansa natin ... Kaya para ipakita ang pagmamahal natin, kailangang sundin natin ang lahat ng batas nito. Kasama na roon ang pagbabayad ng buwis,” she says. “Ito ang kontribusiyon niyo para lumago at maging malakas ang bansa natin.”

–Cristina Tantengco/PF, GMA News