Cagers ‘surprised’ with tax evasion raps

MANILA -- Being accused as tax cheats came as a surprise to professional basketball players Jimmy Alapag and Jared Dillinger.

"It is indeed a surprise to them according to their manager Mr. (Charlie) Yu. He indicated that they (Alapag and Dillinger) have been filing income tax returns. There is an accountant assigned to it since players normally rely on them," Yu's lawyer Antonio Ligon told Sun.Star on Friday.

Ligon cannot give details regarding their next move since they have yet to see a copy of the complaint filed on Thursday by the Bureau of Internal Revenue with the Department of Justice.

"Mr. Yu requested me to handle the matter if in case the problem will not be taken care of by their team (Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters)," said Ligon, who also represented the relatives of President Benigno Aquino III in a Supreme Court case regarding the distribution of the sprawling Hacienda Luisita to Tarlac farmers.

Alapag and Dillinger, currently playing for the multi-titled squad in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), have a combined tax liability of P31.23 million inclusive of surcharges and interest.

Specifically, Alapag's tax deficiency is at P17.86 million while Dillinger allegedly has to remit P13.37 million to the government.

The cases will undergo preliminary investigation by the DOJ to determine if there is probable cause to file the information in the Court of Tax Appeals. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)