MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed criminal complaints against cosmetics company Ever Bilena for tax evasion. 

In a press release on Friday, April 4, the DOJ said four criminal complaints were filed on March 25, Tuesday, against Ever Bilena Cosmetics Incorporated (Ever Bilena), its founder and president Dioceldo Sy, and its treasurer Miami Siytaoco “for tax evasion and failure to supply correct and accurate information in its tax returns. “

The filing of the criminal complaints came after the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), headed by Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr., initiated a criminal complaint against Ever Bilena before the justice department on February 1, in relation to the tax agency’s Run After Fake Transaction (RAFT) Program involving fake or fictitious receipts. The BIR said then that Ever Bilena had a tax liability of around P1.6 billion.

“Based on the Investigation of the RAFT Task Force, Ever Bilena used and claimed benefits from the Ghost Receipts issued by Decarich Supertrade Inc., a ghost company,” the DOJ said. 

“The use of ghost receipts had resulted to Ever Bilena’s over-stated expenses amounting to millions of pesos and lowered taxable income. Consequently, it failed to declare and pay the correct amount of tax due,” the justice department said. 

The DOJ said it found “evidence of reasonable certainty of conviction that the allegation of tax evasion against Ever Bilena is sufficient to warrant conviction.”

Rappler has reached out to Sy for comment on the filing of the tax evasion complaints. We will update this story once we get his response. 

“This is an affirmative step which clearly conveys the government’s unwavering commitment to intensifying the prosecution of tax evasion cases under the Bagong Pilipinas governance where a reasonable certainty of conviction exists,” said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.

Sy and Siytaoco will face the complaints before a Quezon City court, which will decide whether to issue warrants of arrest against them. 

Aside from being dubbed as the “father of Philippine cosmetics,” Sy is also known as the owner of the Blackwater Elite team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) which joined the league in 2014 and is now known as Blackwater Bossing.

Ever Bilena claims to be the number 1 local cosmetics company in the Philippines. It was established in 1983 as a nail polish brand and has since become a beauty empire with 9 brands. It says it has a presence in 6,000 retail stores and has 1,600 employees. – report from Jairo Bolledo/Rappler.com