Carmina Villarroel: Tax case shocking
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Actress-TV host Carmina Villarroel is urging the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to conduct a more extensive information campaign about everything there is to know about taxes.
The BIR filed a P4.45-million tax-evasion case against her husband, actor Zoren Legaspi, in June. “We were shocked. We didn’t expect that, since Zoren and I have always been diligent taxpayers,” Carmina told the Inquirer during the launch of her latest endorsement, Smart Communications’ Sulit IDD Card.
All’s well
She said that she hopes the bureau will conduct lectures and seminars to help people handle their finances more efficiently.
“I bet very few people understand this. We need someone to spell things out.” She added, “Many of us don’t know how much is being deducted from our paychecks for taxes every month. We work very hard. We should know where every peso goes.”
Carmina said all is well now between her family and BIR Commissioner Kim Henares.
“She’s just doing her job. I love her! She has my respect, understanding and patience. I learned a lot from the whole experience. Zoren and I discovered that someone else is using his TIN (tax identification number). We’re fixing everything,” she said.
Carmina said the BIR case has affected their kids. “We had to assure them that their parents didn’t do anything wrong. We explained what happened.” Twins Maverick Peter and María Cassandra are 12 years old.
Both love sports, the proud mom said—Maverick is into basketball; Cassandra, volleyball. “They’re not so much into the arts, although Cassy writes poems.”
About time
Asked for her comment on the rumored reunion of the cast of the 1990s top-rating sitcom “Palibhasa Lalake,” Carmina exclaimed, “It’s about time! It’s been two decades since I last played Cathy. I feel so old! If I get to play her again, I think she will have become more mature, but still childlike. She’ll forever be the baby of the family.”
Her fondest memories of the show are moments off-cam, said Carmina. “We became sort of a family. The sala set was our favorite place. We rested there, slept there, and talked about our problems there,” she recalled. “It was also where we got to spend time with Tito Douglas (Quijano, Carmina’s late talent manager). I miss all those times.”
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