The government loses millions of pesos in revenues every year because of collusions between unscrupulous private individuals and corporations and erring employees of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the registries of deeds to defraud the government of the proper payment of taxes in transfers of titles to real property.

The task force was created pursuant to a memorandum of agreement among the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission on Audit (CoA).

Under the agreement, the said agencies will coordinate their efforts to ensure the implementation of real property tax laws and the eradication of irregularities in transfers of titles to real property.

The agreement was signed last Sept. 20, 2005, by Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez, Ombudsman Simeon V. Marcelo, and CoA chairman Guillermo N. Carague. President Arroyo, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Joaquin Lagonera, and Presidential Adviser for Revenue Enhancement Narciso Santiago Jr. witnessed the signing.

Meetings among the principals of the MoA and their trusted aids, namely, Atty. Arturo Carandang of the DoJ, Director Dominador Persol of the Office of the Ombudsman, and CoA Undersecretary Ernesto Pineda, were held to formulate programs and strategies for the task force.

Among the powers and functions of the task force are to investigate, gather evidence, and file criminal, civil, and administrative cases against public officials and employees and private individuals and corporations involved in land title irregularities.

Beginning next week, the task force will conduct investigations on irregularities in land titling in two pilot areas in the country.

Different sectors hailed this native initiative on the part of the government to stamp out corruption in the BIR and the registries of deeds, and, at the same time, raise much needed revenue for the national treasury.