A government agency has been urged to investigate claims that a young entrepreneur is a “billionaire” following his claim on Facebook.
An unofficial Facebook page of Kangkong Chips Original (KCO) founder and seller Josh Mojica posted a video of him on Monday, August 18, with the caption:
“21 years old ‘bilyonaryo na,’ ikaw?”
It was reportedly reshared by the official page of Mojica.
As of this writing, however, the post is no longer visible on the official page, but the post can still be viewed on the unofficial version.
Mojica previously made headlines after violating the Anti-Distracted Driving Act by using his smartphone to record himself while driving a sports car on the highway.
Meanwhile, the “billionaire” claims drew the attention of former Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon, who urged the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to investigate Mojica.
The BIR is responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing tax laws.
“Akala ko ang youngest billionaire ay may-ari ng Mang Inasal? Ba’t nag-ca-claim itong si Kangkong? Bureau of Internal Revenue Philippines, paki-check nga ang taxes ng tao na ‘yan,” Guanzon said on Thursday, August 21, tagging the Facebook page of the BIR.
In 2022, Sen. Win Gatchalian pushed for higher taxes on the country’s wealthiest individuals, noting that many of them were not included in the BIR’s list of top income taxpayers.
“At doon ka magtataka dahil bilyonaryo sila, pero wala sila sa top taxpayers list. Meron talagang dapat ayusin sa sistema natin para ‘yung may kaya o ‘yung mayayaman ay mas mataas ang babayaran nila,” he previously said.
“‘Yun ang konsepto na tinatawag nating progressivity, kung sino ang may kayang magbayad ay dapat mas malaki ang kanyang babayaran,” Gatchalian added.
