CLARK FREEPORT -- Officers and members of the Jesus Our Victory (JOV) Family Worship Center International Incorporated have belied reports that Goshen Resort and Hotel, a resort with Roman-inspired architectural design situated in Bamban, Tarlac, was charged with tax evasion.
The JOV members were reacting to news reports that Goshen and their leader, JOV Bishop Marciano Francisco Paras, president of Kurdan Printhub Trading Incorporated that operates the resort, face tax evasion charges.
Pastor Samuel Cole D. Nicolas told Sunstar Pampanga that the resort and Paras were charged with unlawful pursuit of business and failure to issue receipts or commercial invoices by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) 4.
Nicolas admitted that the Kurdan’s transfer from Angeles City to Bamban town resulted in the delay in their registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and BIR.
The BIR earlier stated that Goshen issued official receipts registered to another business enterprise, the JOV Family Worship Center International Incorporated.
But Nicolas said they issued the receipts to their guests in good faith.
“In good faith, we issued JOV receipts to our guests when we opened last year but we were informed that this is not correct and we are violating the tax code so we stopped it,” Nicolas said in the vernacular.
He clarified that Kurdan already secured a certificate of registration from the BIR 4.
Aside from the BIR registration, Goshen also acquired two separate certifications from the local government units where the resort is situated, Barangay Lourdes and Bamban town, according to Nicolas.
Goshen also paid BIR P65,000 and PP1,064 for the registration requirement and invoicing requirement violations, respectively, he added.
But the news reports, the JOV pastor said, has affected the reputation of Kurdan and the resort. “The damaged has been done because of the news report,” he said.
Businessman Edizon Ramos, a member of the JOV, defended Paras, saying the latter will never engaged in wrongdoings as stated in what the former described as “fake news.”
Paras has spearheaded several humanitarian missions all over the country to help the people in need.
Philantrophist Noel Guiao Zamora, who is also a contributor and member of the religious group, said their members has expressed full support to Paras.
“He is a good leader, we know him very well. In all of his actions, Bishop Paras is godly and upright,” Zamora said.
Paras initiated the JOV’s scholarship program, which benefitted hundreds of students, according to Zamora.
“He helps people especially those in urgent needs. Even pastors from different Christian ministries know him. We are sure of his personality,” said in the Kapampangan.