While I wasn’t able to join the Trillion Peso March on Sept. 21, I was there in spirit. Recent Senate hearings also prompted questions on how these contractors managed to secure the tax clearances needed for government bidding. For clarity, a Tax Clearance for Bidding Purposes certifies only that a bidder:• Has no unpaid annual registration fee;• Has no open valid “stop-filer” cases;• Is a regular user of the BIR’s Electronic Filing and Payment System from the time of enrollment up to the time of filing of the renewal of Tax Clearance for those with previously issued Tax Clearance for Bidding Purposes. In other words, taxpayers can still be investigated even after securing a tax clearance. This decisive action sends a clear message: tax evasion will not be tolerated, and our public revenue merits vigilant guardianship.