MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is confident that the sale of a US$1.125 million house in Foster City, California allegedly owned by Ang Galing Party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo and wife Ma. Angela would even bolster the tax evasion case against him.

In an interview with ANC, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares said “it should not affect [the tax evasion case], in fact, it [the property sale] should even strengthen [the case].”

She noted “in the first place, we based the tax evasion case on the statement of assets and liabilities he filed. Let’s say, in your assets, you have a property that used to be a house and lot, when you sell it, it just becomes liquid.”

Vera Files reported on Monday that a company partly-owned by the former First Son sold the house for $1.125 million to owners of the restaurant chain “Gerry’s Grill.”

Vera Files said Arroyo claimed 40% ownership of the real estate firm, Beachway LLC, but “visitors to the Foster City property were left without a doubt as to its occupants’ identities.”

Asked if the Arroyos could have gotten wind of the tax evasion case before selling the property, Henares said “offhand, I don’t read anything to it. All the cases we file are based on evidence and not conjecture.”

The BIR filed on Wednesday a P73.85-million tax evasion complaint against the couple.

The complaint stems from Arroyo's non-filing of annual income tax returns (ITR) for taxable years 2005, 2008 and 2009, and Ma. Angela Arroyo's non-filing of ITRs from 2003 to 2009.