Commissioner Charlito Mendoza: At the Helm of Public Trust 

By Elijah Fajardo, Jillian Velasco, and Shenellyn Pineda

The Bureau of Internal Revenue has long stood as one of the most scrutinized offices – one in which every decision carried the weight of public trust. As the agency tasked with the lifeblood of the State, it exists at the intersection of power and criticism, placing insurmountable pressure on those chosen to lead it. 

But for Atty. Charlito Mendoza, no call for public service will be left unanswered.

Life Beyond Titles

For 15 years, generations of Bedan law students encountered Commissioner Charlito Mendoza not first as a public official, but as a professor at San Beda University College of Law. 

After ranking third in the 2004 Bar Examinations, Mendoza immediately began a career in the academe as part of the SBU-COL faculty that spanned for more than a decade until 2019, the same year he joined public service. 

Reflecting on the years he had in the academe, he shared that teaching nurtured his outlook on leadership and governance. 

“Teaching made me a better lawyer and a better public servant.  A big part of it, for me, is because teaching is a practice of patience, tolerance, and rooting for people to succeed,” he shared in an exclusive interview with thebarrister in his office in Quezon City. 

True enough, the same values would eventually follow him into public service, where he eventually rose to become Undersecretary for Revenue Operations in the Department of Finance in 2024 before his appointment as Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue on November 13, 2025. 

But beyond the titles is a man who describes himself simply as a homebody. For him, fulfillment is rooted in the simplicity of everyday life – the unhurried conversations with his wife, undisturbed play time with his two children, endless music he listens to, or a cup of coffee he manages to finish while still hot. 

“I enjoy staying in, slowing down on weekends, catching up on sleep, and just being present at home,” he shared.

These glimpses behind the public image reveal a man who is grounded less by prestige and position and more by family, routine and reflection.

Carrying Lessons into Leadership

Much of this groundedness traces back to the woman he considers his greatest mentor – his mother. After losing his father at the age of nine, Mendoza watched his mother single-handedly raise him and his brother while working full-time as a teacher. 

“I looked up to her not only for her kindness, strength, and resilience, but also for the strict work ethic she instilled in us,” he recalled. 

That example became a constant in his own life, shaping a guiding principle he continues to carry: to show up, do the work, and do it well, even when it’s difficult.

Even today, as a public servant, he continues to find meaning in learning and working with others. 

“Public service puts you in constant contact with new problems, new ideas, and new people. It can be stressful, yes, but it is never boring,” he affirmed.

When Mendoza formally assumed leadership of the BIR, he emphasized that public trust should remain at the center of his governance. 

“When people walk into our offices and experience clarity, their trust grows,” he said during his turnover ceremony. “When trust grows, compliance follows naturally. This is how we change the narrative, not through slogans, but through service.” 

Public Office is Public Trust

On December 11, 2025, just a day shy of his first month into office, the BIR Chief found himself in hot water when he was summoned at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation on the misuse of letters of authority (LOA). 

The LOA is such a powerful tool prone to abuse that no less than the Supreme Court has consistently pronounced that it must strictly comply with substantial and procedural requirements for its validity before BIR examiners are granted authority to examine records and books of taxpayers. Otherwise, such intrusion would violate a taxpayer’s right to due process. 

In a pressure-packed investigation, the newly-appointed commissioner stood his ground in front of senators and resource persons present in the Senate halls at Diokno Boulevard in Pasay City, including former Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares (2010-2016). 

For Commissioner Mendoza, his purpose was not to build personal legacy in the office but to rebuild public trust in an institution riddled with abuse and corruption. 

“Trust is not restored all at once. It is rebuilt over time through steady, visible action,” he said. 

“First, those responsible must be investigated properly and, where the evidence warrants it, charged and prosecuted. People need to see that the law is being enforced seriously and fairly. Second, the government has to be transparent about what went wrong, where it went wrong, and what is being done to correct it. And third, institutions have to fix the weaknesses in processes that allowed the problem to happen in the first place.”

True to his words, the BIR had already filed cases against 25 of its personnel for alleged abuse of LOA while investigations are still ongoing for others, just six months into his term. Aside from internal crackdown, the BIR also instituted multiple tax evasion cases against contractors involved in the flood control scandal and corporations and businesses who circumvent tax laws. This earned the approval not only of the senators from the legislative hearing, but also of the private sector who long complained of the alleged abuse of LOAs. 

But words of praise do not detract the BIR Chief from his own definition of public service, since for him, “responsiveness to public trust means being mindful every day that this role is temporary, but the institution and the public it serves are not.”

Principled Leadership

Now visible in the public sphere, the BIR Chief knows his office is not immune to public criticism, more so that public discourse has linked multiple national issues to tax evasion cases. Quite frankly, he understands the public outcry.

But as a lawyer and former law professor himself, he emphasized that due process must be observed at all times, as “allegations, by themselves, are not yet proof.”

“We should neither ignore serious allegations nor rush to conclusions just because a case is already being discussed publicly or there is already public outrage. It is important for accountability to undergo due process. In the end, the goal is not just to make allegations sound convincing in public, but to make them provable in court,” he said.

Thus, these two principles guide Mendoza’s leadership. First, “do the most good I can in whatever time I am given in public office. That keeps me on my toes, working towards reforms that can be felt immediately and outlast my stay in office,” he shared. 

And second, “leave the agency in a better position to serve and reform than it was in when I assumed office. That reminds me not to lose sight of the longer-term work, even when some, if not most, of it may not be completed within my term.”

This approach was not shaped overnight, but by decades-long practice as a lawyer and a teacher. So whenever confronted with situations where he has to decide as a public servant, Mendoza – who is less ambitious for spectacle and more focused on his ability to effect change – knows he cannot stay idle for too long. Whatever decision it may be, he sticks to how he knows how to navigate them – from the standpoint of a lawyer and from a point of view of a teacher.

“As a lawyer, can I defend this? Can this stand up to scrutiny, including in court if necessary? That pushes me to be careful with both substance and process,” he shared.

“As a teacher, I ask: Can I explain this clearly to the people who will be affected by it? A decision may be legally sound, but if it is poorly communicated, it can still create confusion or distrust.”

Being away from the academe for nearly seven years now has not dampened Mendoza’s passion for mentoring. In fact, the Commissioner shared a piece of advice for students aspiring to serve in the public sphere: it is not enough to just read the law books, journals and case studies, it is also vital that students keep themselves informed, even in seemingly unrelated fields.

Further, he said, “Just do the work. Study well, stay disciplined, and keep going. And work on your communication skills, how to deal with people, and your leadership.”