Millionaires in government: Brazen plunder of the nation�s coffers
The government continues to deny the workers' urgent demand for a P125-increase in their daily wage.
The government also continues to deny the urgent demand of rank-and-file government employees for a P3,000-increase in their monthly salary. The lowest-ranking employee receives only P4,000-P5,000 monthly. This is equivalent to only P133-P167 daily. The measly 5% increase in their salaries recently legislated by the Macapagal-Arroyo regime is a grave insult. This is equivalent to less than P7 daily-and not even enough to buy a can of sardines.
On the other hand, high-ranking government officials scandalously indulge themselves, receiving hundreds of thousands up to millions annually in salaries alone. In addition, they receive other benefits, like gasoline and representation allowances, per diems for travel and others, not to mention what they steal from the nation's coffers through various means.
A case in point is Winston Garcia, general manager of GSIS, the insurance agency for government employees. He receives P6.5 million annually. His basic salary amounts to P4,283,748 and his total compensation including benefits amounts to P2.3 million. His benefits include a P723,958 bonus; P382,444 in RATA (representation allowances); a provident fund of P1 million; P21,000 for food; and P15,000 in medical benefits.
Recorded as having the biggest take-home pay (P10.9 million per year) as Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office chair is Ma. Livia "Honey Girl" Singson-de Leon. Her annual basic salary amounts to P440,000 and part of her "compensation and benefits" are a P5-million intelligence fund and P4.7 million in discretionary funds. Neither of these funds is subject to audit. Aside from this, she receives P90,000 in goodwill money or "balato" for every sweepstakes draw. These are gifts from the Macapagal-Arroyo regime to Luis "Chavit" Singson, de Leon's brother, for his role in having exposed the Estrada regime's corruption and links to jueteng and having initiated the process that led to Macapagal-Arroyo's takeover from Estrada.
Others on record as having the highest salaries are the president of the Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp. (P7.3 million) and the vice-presidents of GSIS (P5.8 million) and SSS (P4.9 million).
With the issue of "millionaires" among government leaders becoming the focus of attention, a list of these "millionaires" within the bureaucracy has recently been made public. The Macapagal-Arroyo regime wants to make it appear that it is in the process of changing this practice. The regime warned the officials on the list to reduce their salaries or resign. On the roster were heads of public corporations and institutions receiving P691,670 to P10 million annually.
But this is all hot air on the part of Macapagal-Arroyo to improve her image before the public and cover up the big salaries, even bigger privileges and ever present corruption of government officials, especially those in high positions.
The government pretends to condemn the very high salaries received by these officials. Macapagal-Arroyo even plays the victim by saying that her basic pay is much less than what other government executives have been raking in. But it is the reactionary law itself that grants these officials the license to set such high salaries and benefits for themselves. Fourteen of the 72 public corporations are exempted from coverage by the Salary Standardization Law, the very law that pegs the salaries of all employees at all levels.
These corporations include the Bases Conversion Development Authority, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, GSIS, SSS, Home Guaranty Corp., Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp., Philippine Health Insurance Corp. Development Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Postal Corp., National Manpower Corp., Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the Philippne Economic Zone Authority.
Aside from executives of government corporations, senators and congressmen rake in huge amounts from their pork barrels, kickbacks from contracts and many other means. Cabinet members, political appointees of Macapagal-Arroyo and other bureaucrats assigned to the board of directors of government corporations likewise receive huge allowances and benefits that are far bigger than their salaries.
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