Government Websites

http://www.bir.gov.ph/

BIR History:
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Contador de' Resultas served as the Chief Royal Accountant whose functions were similar to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. He was the Chief Arbitrator whose decisions on financial matters were final except when revoked by the Council of Indies. During these times, taxes that were collected from the inhabitants varied from tribute or head tax of one gold maiz annually; tax on value of jewelries and gold trinkets; indirect taxes on tobacco, wine, cockpits, burlas and powder. From 1521 to 1821, the Spanish treasury had to subsidize the Philippines in the amount of P 250,000.00 per annum due to the poor financial condition of the country, which can be primarily attributed to the poor revenue collection system.

http://www.comelec.gov.ph

The Commission on Elections is mandated to give life and meaning to the basic principle that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. It is an independent constitutional body created by a 1940 amendment to the 1935 Constitution. Since then, its membership was enlarged and its powers expanded by the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions. The Commission exercises not only administrative and quasi-judicial powers, but judicial power as well.

Before the creation of the Commission, supervision over the conduct of elections was vested in the Executive Bureau, an office under the Department of the Interior, and later directly vested in the Department itself. The close official relationship between the President and the Secretary of the Interior and the perceived compelling influence of the former over the latter bred suspicion that electoral exercises were manipulated to serve the political interest of the party to which they belonged.

The National Assembly was impelled to propose the creation by constitutional amendment of an independent Commission on Elections. The amendment was ratified by the Filipino people in a plebiscite on June 17, 1940 and approved on December 2, 1940.

http://www.neda.gov.ph

The NEDA is the Philippines' social and economic development planning and policy coordinating body.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), as mandated by the Philippine Constitution, is the country’s independent economic development and planning agency. It is headed by the President as chairman of the NEDA board, with the Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning, concurrently NEDA Director-General, as vice-chairman. Several Cabinet members, the Central Bank Governor, ARMM and ULAP are likewise members of the NEDA Board