C P C Escaño & Co., Certified Public Accountants

24/10/2026

𝐁𝐈𝐑 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝟏𝟕𝟎𝟗 (𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝-𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬)

"We're not a big multinational, so this doesn't apply to us." That assumption is exactly how businesses get flagged.

If your company has ANY transaction with a sister company, an affiliate, or even a majority shareholder — a loan, free use of office space, a management fee — you may already have a BIR Form 1709 filing obligation.

And here's the part most owners miss: you don't need to be a large taxpayer yourself. If you transact with one, that relationship alone can trigger YOUR filing requirement.

The BIR uses this form to run transfer pricing risk assessments and decide who gets audited. An incomplete or missing filing doesn't go unnoticed — it often draws more scrutiny, not less.

This isn't a "big company" issue. It's a structural reality for many family-owned businesses and corporate groups in the Philippines.

Read the full article on who needs to file, what counts as a related party transaction, and what's at stake: https://escano-cpas.com/tax-compliance-bulletins

Not sure if this applies to your business? Let's talk before your next ITR is due.



SI

15/10/2026

14/10/2026

Core business services, registration assistance, advisory support, and updated educational modules is now just one tap away All thanks to DTI’s newly developed 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐨 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝟐.𝟎​​, Filipino entrepreneurs can access essential business services whenever needed and wherever they may be.

With Philippine merchandise exports reaching a record $54.92 billion from January to July 2026, DTI is also opening doors through 𝟐𝟑 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, fully venue-covered trade fairs that generated over ₱1.09 billion for more than 3,500 local businesses in 2025. 📈

Additionally, the DTI is offering 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 through Small Business Corporation (SBCorp) processed entirely via mobile app.

Business owners and interested parties can access the services directly through the official website at: negosyocenter.dti.gov.ph

https://escano-cpas.com/msme-hub



HP

12/10/2026

𝐁𝐈𝐑 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 (JA)

Makati business owners: The BIR Revenue Region No. 8A has launched the 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 (𝐌𝐒-𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐏).

This program is meant to help you understand and meet your tax obligations through clear guidance, taxpayer education, and prompt assistance.

Stay connected through the 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐑𝟖𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥. The channel is 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬. It is for 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 on BIR announcements and for 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 to the BIR.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐒-𝐓𝐀𝐌𝐏 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬:

1. Clear guidance on tax compliance
2. Taxpayer education
3. Coordinated assistance for micro and small taxpayers

Regional Director Antonino L. Ilagan said it best: "At its core, it is about helping taxpayers."

26/09/2026

𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐬: 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐆𝐨 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 (JA)

Big news for business owners and taxpayers: the last paper step in notarized transactions is finally disappearing.

Starting 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐞𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧) goes live. The first commissioned 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 (𝐄𝐍𝐏𝐬) will notarize documents fully online — no more in-person appearances needed.

And there's more. The 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 (𝐁𝐈𝐑) and the 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 are now working together to digitize the 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐓𝐚𝐱 (𝐃𝐒𝐓) too. On August 11, 2026, BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza and Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa discussed how to pay and affix DST electronically, closing the final paper gap in the process.

As Commissioner Mendoza said it best: "𝘐𝘧 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘛𝘢𝘹."

Backed by the Supreme Court's 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (2025) and the BIR's 𝐞𝐃𝐒𝐓 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐑 𝐍𝐨. 𝟐𝟖-𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, this means faster transactions, easier compliance, and less red tape for everyone.

https://escano-cpas.com/corporate-governance-news

26/09/2026

𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆-𝒐𝒇-𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

Modern governance faces challenges no single agency can solve alone. The Whole-of-Government (WOG) approach breaks down silos, fosters policy coherence, optimises resources, and streamlines service delivery.

Implementation isn’t without friction—blurred accountability and systemic hurdles remain—but success depends on strong commitment and a culture that adapts.

Sustaining collaboration means empowering civil servants and keeping citizen needs at the center, beyond narrow departmental targets.

This post is part of the Governance Explainers series by the Institute for Governance and Leadership, designed to unpack complex frameworks in an accessible way for all readers.

26/09/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝

The BIR has returned ₱23.67 billion in tax refunds from January to September 2026, nearly double last year’s level. Faster releases mean stronger cash flow for taxpayers and businesses during challenging times.

𝗕𝗜𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗣𝟮𝟯.𝟲𝟳 𝗕𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗔𝗫 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗝𝗔𝗡𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥, 𝗡𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥’𝗦 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), under Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza, released P23.67 billion in tax refunds from January to September 2026, compared with P12.42 billion during the same period last year, as the Bureau accelerated the release of approved refunds to taxpayers and businesses.

“These are lawful refunds due to our taxpayers. Once a refund has been properly evaluated and approved for release, we see no reason to unnecessarily delay it. We want to put that money back in the hands of our businesses so they can use it for operating expenses, preserve cash flow, and keep their businesses moving, especially during this energy crisis,” Commissioner Mendoza said.

The faster release of refunds supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s direction to promote a more business-friendly environment and Finance Secretary Frederick D. Go’s push to make government transactions easier, faster, and less costly for businesses.

“Tax administration is not only about collecting what is properly due to government. We must also return what is properly due to the taxpayer once the claim has been evaluated and approved,” Mendoza added.