Philippine telecommunications company PLDT has committed to support the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) digital transformation as it sets it eyes on higher targets this year.
In a panel discussion held recently at BIR’s 2021 Tax Campaign Kickoff event, Manuel V. Pangilinan, chair and CEO, PLDT, commended BIR’s record-breaking tax collection of P1.95 trillion, which is due to BIR’s recent digital transformation process.
BIR’s digital transformation includes the bureau’s tax compliance monitoring program innovating taxpayers’ experience, its e-Filing and e-Appointment systems and using digital payment channels for improved taxpayer services.
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“[The BIR] has done a good job and it now has higher targets for 2021, coming off from a pandemic which is very challenging. Whether it is by enabling the bureau to collect more efficiently through the different online payment channels or assisting it in deploying cloud-based data storage solutions, we are here to help,” said Manuel V. Pangilinan, chair and CEO, PLDT, who was one of the key speakers at the event.
Pangilinan said that the PLDT group has been continuously upgrading its networks, underscoring the importance of its fixed and wireless networks as well as its international cable facilities in enabling Filipinos to have the best possible customer experience.
Low latency
“We are rolling out our 5G infrastructure and hopefully, by the end of the year, it will be substantially deployed in most parts of the Philippines. 5G offers our customers greater speed, lower latency and better video experience, and we are doing our best to make 5G devices more affordable to a greater number of Filipinos,” Pangilinan said.
With the country’s fast-tracked digital transformation amid the pandemic, government institutions, businesses and individuals alike are finding their own way to adapt and go digital.
“Beyond connectivity, we also provide enterprise solutions for both SMEs and corporations. We need to push corporations to become more digital. It isn’t just all about laying the network for these corporations but also creating more digital solutions, both here and abroad. These are solutions based on the way enterprises sell and deliver their products. Our enterprise group is now looking into more digital solutions, on top of digital connectivity,” Pangilinan added.
The BIR pushes to fully adapt digital systems and processes as it aims to reach its tax collections target of P2.08 trillion this year.
Also at the event were Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay and fellow business leaders Ramon S. Ang, Justo A. Ortiz, Enrique K. Razon Jr., and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.