To our host in this morning;
To the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) led by Commissioner Charlie Mendoza;
To Sec. Cris;
Usec. John, Usec. Perry, Usec. Joee;
To all the officials of the Department of Finance (DOF);
All of the heads of the IPAs;
Our partners in the private sector;
At sa lahat ng magigiting na tao dito sa BIR;
Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat.

Today marks an important milestone in our continuing effort to modernize the Philippine tax system and strengthen tax compliance in the country.

The Registered Business Enterprises Taxpayer Service, or RBETS, is a key institutional reform introduced by the CREATE MORE Act. It is a critical step in ensuring that our incentives system is fair, efficient, and responsive.

When I championed the CREATE MORE Act in the Congress when I was Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, our objective was clear: to adopt policies––and more importantly, execute accordingly to build a globally competitive, predictable, and progressive economy.

And to do that, we have to meet two conditions:

First, rules must be applied uniformly, consistently, and predictably.

And second, public revenues must be protected, so that incentives deliver real economic returns and are not abused or improperly granted.

The RBETS, implemented through RBE Express Counters in Revenue District Offices, is designed precisely to achieve these two objectives.

By providing a centralized, end-to-end taxpayer service for registered business enterprises, we ensure a single, consistent interpretation and application of incentive rules across the tax system. This reduces fragmentation, promotes predictability, and gives both the taxpayers and the government a clear, common framework for compliance.

RBETS is a clear signal of the government’s commitment to enable businesses to thrive. It tells investors that: we hear you, we are improving, and we are ready to serve you better.

At the same time, this reform significantly strengthens revenue protection.

By professionalizing the administration of incentive-related tax matters, RBETS improves monitoring, enhances data quality, and reduces leakage. This allows the government to safeguard revenue collection, correctly identify high-risk cases, and focus enforcement where it matters most — while easing the burden on compliant taxpayers.

I would like to commend the BIR—especially Comm Charlie, and our partner IPAs for translating legislative intent into operational reform. This is how laws create impact— not merely through statutes, but through institutions that work.

To the men and women of the BIR, this launch reflects your dedication to reform. Transformation is never easy. It demands courage, discipline, and a willingness to change long-standing systems. RBETS is proof that the Bureau is turning vision into action and building a tax system that Filipinos can trust.

Rest assured that the Department of Finance will continue to stand firmly behind the Bureau—supporting initiatives like RBETS to ensure that our tax system meets the highest standards of efficiency and integrity, and of course it must align with global best practices.

May the RBETS be only one of the many big, bold reforms of the BIR towards greater fairness, accountability, and sustainability.

To our RBEs and the broader business community: RBETS recognizes your role as partners in development. Your investments create jobs, strengthens the economy, and your compliance fuels our collective progress. This service exists to support that partnership.

RBETS is another proof that the Philippines is ready for business — and serious about supporting investors.

That is the promise of CREATE MORE and that is the reform we are delivering on.

Maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat.