G.R. No.

187485
CIR v. San Roque Power Corporation

Facts:

On October 11, 1997, San Roque entered into a Power Purchase Agreement ("PPA") with the National Power
Corporation ("NPC") to develop hydro-potential of the Lower Agno River and generate additional power and
energy for the Luzon Power Grid, by building the San Roque Multi-Purpose Project located in San Manuel,
Pangasinan.

On the construction and development of the San Roque Multi- Purpose Project which comprises of the dam,
spillway and power plant, San Roque allegedly incurred, excess input VAT in the amount of ₱559,709,337.54
for taxable year 2001 which it declared in its Quarterly VAT Returns filed for the same year. San Roque duly
filed with the BIR separate claims for refund, in the total amount of ₱559,709,337.54, representing unutilized
input taxes as declared in its VAT returns for taxable year 2001.

However, on March 28, 2003, San Roque filed amended Quarterly VAT Returns for the year 2001 since it
increased its unutilized input VAT to the amount of ₱560,200,283.14. Consequently, San Roque filed with the
BIR on even date, separate amended claims for refund in the aggregate amount of ₱560,200,283.14.

CIR’s inaction on the subject claims led to the filing by [San Roque] of the Petition for Review with the Court of
Tax Appeals in Division on April 10, 2003.
Issue:

1. Whether or not San Roque is entitled to Tax refund/credit?

2. Whether or not Taxpayer has to wait for the expiration of 120 day before filing a judicial claim?

Held:

1. No. San Roque is not entitled to a tax refund because it failed to comply with the mandatory and
jurisdictional requirement of waiting 120 days before filing its judicial claim.

2. Yes. On 10 April 2003, a mere 13 days after it filed its amended administrative claim with the
Commissioner on 28 March 2003, San Roque filed a Petition for Review with the CTA which shows that
San Roque did not wait for the 120-day period to lapse before filing its judicial claim.
Clearly, San Roque failed to comply with the 120-day waiting period, the time expressly given by law
to the Commissioner to decide whether to grant or deny San Roque’s application for tax refund or
credit. It is indisputable that compliance with the 120-day waiting period is mandatory and
jurisdictional.

Failure to comply with the 120-day waiting period violates a mandatory provision of law. It violates
the doctrine of exhaustion of administrative remedies and renders the petition premature and thus
without a cause of action, with the effect that the CTA does not acquire jurisdiction over the taxpayer’s
petition.

San Roque’s failure to comply with the 120-day mandatory period renders its petition for review with
the CTA void. Article 5 of the Civil Code provides, "Acts executed against provisions of mandatory or
prohibitory laws shall be void, except when the law itself authorizes their validity." San Roque’s void
petition for review cannot be legitimized by the CTA or this Court because Article 5 of the Civil Code
states that such void petition cannot be legitimized "except when the law itself authorizes [its]
validity." There is no law authorizing the petition’s validity.

Whether the Atlas doctrine or the Mirant doctrine is applied to San Roque is immaterial because what
is at issue in the present case is San Roque’s non-compliance with the 120-day mandatory and
jurisdictional period, which is counted from the date it filed its administrative claim with the
Commissioner. The 120-day period may extend beyond the two-year prescriptive period, as long as
the administrative claim is filed within the two-year prescriptive period. However, San Roque’s fatal
mistake is that it did not wait for the Commissioner to decide within the 120-day period, a mandatory
period whether the Atlas or the Mirant doctrine is applied.

Section 112(D) of the 1997 Tax Code is clear, unequivocal, and categorical that the Commissioner has
120 days to act on an administrative claim. The taxpayer can file the judicial claim (1) only within thirty
days after the Commissioner partially or fully denies the claim within the 120- day period, or (2) only
within thirty days from the expiration of the 120- day period if the Commissioner does not act within
the 120-day period.

Even if, contrary to all principles of statutory construction as well as plain common sense, we
gratuitously apply now Section 4.106-2(c) of Revenue Regulations No. 7-95, still San Roque cannot
recover any refund or credit because San Roque did not wait for the 60-day period to lapse, contrary
to the express requirement in Section 4.106-2(c). In short, San Roque does not even comply with
Section 4.106-2(c). A claim for tax refund or credit is strictly construed against the taxpayer, who must
prove that his claim clearly complies with all the conditions for granting the tax refund or credit. San
Roque did not comply with the express condition for such statutory grant.