GASAN, Marinduque -- Atty. Charlito Martin “Charlie” Mendoza, a native of Gasan, Marinduque, has been appointed as the new commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the government agency responsible for generating over 70 percent of the country’s revenues.
Mendoza was sworn into office on November 13 by President Ferdinand Marcos. His appointment comes after the sudden departure of former BIR chief Romeo “Jun” Lumagui Jr., who stepped down despite the agency consistently meeting its collection goals.
Before his appointment, Mendoza served as undersecretary for the Revenue Operations Group at the Department of Finance (DOF), overseeing operations at both the BIR and the Bureau of Customs (BOC). DOF sources describe him as a trusted associate of Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto, occasionally representing the finance chief in the influential Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
Mendoza’s government career is marked by notable operational achievements. At the BOC Port of Cebu from July 2019 to October 2022, he reportedly led the port to “record-breaking” revenue collections and oversaw its attainment of the ISO 9001:2015 quality management certification—the first for any customs collection district in the country.
Academically, Mendoza is a licensed geodetic engineer from the University of the Philippines and a lawyer from San Beda University, where he placed third in the 2004 Philippine Bar Exam. He completed his early education at Immaculate Conception College (now St. Mary’s College of Marinduque) in 1994.
Before joining public service, Mendoza was a founding partner at the law firm Palafox Patriarca Romero and Mendoza. Colleagues describe him as a “solution-finder” known for cutting through complex challenges to deliver measurable results.
With his appointment, Mendoza brings both legal and technical expertise to the BIR, as the agency faces the dual challenge of maintaining revenue growth and ensuring compliance in an evolving fiscal landscape. -- Marinduquenews.com
