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Philippines President Arroyo Names Temporary Tax Agency Chief

MANILA -(Dow Jones)- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has named Joel Tan- Torres, deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, to be the officer-in-charge of the main tax collection body until she appoints a new chief, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Tuesday.

Arroyo accepted the resignation of Commissioner Sixto Esquivias over the weekend. With the departure of Esquivias, Tan-Torres is the most senior of the remaining BIR commissioners.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has said that Esquivias resigned because he "has not performed well."

The BIR's poor tax collection is one of the reasons for the Philippines' widening budget deficit. In the nine months through September, the bureau collected PHP557 billion, short of the targeted PHP596.2 billion for the period.

Esquivias rejoined the BIR last year after Lilian Hefti resigned last year due to health reasons. Esquivias is the third BIR chief to quit in as many years.

-By Cris Larano, Dow Jones Newswires; 632-848-5051; cris.larano@dowjones.com

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  11-03-090411ET
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