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In an interview, president Fernando Gaite of the Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) said top GSIS and SSS officials get bigger salaries and bonuses than officials from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
"In the GSIS, the president and general manager get more than P500,000 a month. It doesn't have 1,2 or 10 vice-presidents. It has 48 vice-presidents. It only scratches the surface especially when it comes to the big expenditures of government," he said in an ABS-CBN "Umagang Kay Ganda" interview.
President Benigno Aquino III earlier revealed that MWSS employees are receiving more than P30,000 in monthly salary on top of additional benefits. The President also added that members of its Board of Trustees receive P2.5 million annually aside from car benefits, technical assistance, and loans.
MWSS OIC Macra Cruz admitted that top officials of the government agency are receiving excessive benefits. "Tama nga ang ating presidente na may kalabisan na natanggap namin na benepisyo," she said.
She added that while the salaries of MWSS officials are covered by the Salary Standardization Law, their benefits are usually approved by the Board of Trustees as provided for in the MWSS charter.
In 2009, MWSS was given P211.5 million budget for personal services costs, which ballooned from P160.1 million the previous year. Personal services costs include basic pay, salary and wages, mandatory benefits, and all other allowances.
In the same year, the payroll was only pegged at around P51.4 million, with roughly P4 million allotted for the monthly salary of employees. The remaining amount was earmarked for employee benefits and for the members of the Board of Trustees.
Cruz said employees' original benefits were carried over by the contract signed by the concessionaires. Privatized in 1997, MWSS was bought by 2 concessionaires: Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Co. Inc. But the administrative department remained with the government.
"Sa retirees, actually nagbayad na kami ng una sa kanila ng 15% noon pa. lipat ito sa 2 concessionaires pero bigay na kami ng isang bayad," Cruz said.
She explained that MWSS already paid 40% of its retirees and they only have a balance of P300 million to P400 million or 60% of the overall compensation.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson has asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to create an independent body that will look into the figures.
Gaite, meanwhile, said the government should amend the Salary Standardization Law to increase the salaries of government employees.
"That would cure partially the problem of low pay. Even President Aquino admits it's hard to recruit people for top government posts because the pay is so low," he said.
MWSS board members 'basically wrote their own checks'
"It can be said that they [MWSS board members] basically write their own checks," the MWSS source told reporters on Tuesday, which was confirmed by another GMANews.TV source.
The term "token bonus" was used to refer to the going-away gift given to MWSS board members when their terms of office ended.
Besides the "token" bonus, the MWSS board members also receive additional allowances, according to MWSS sources privy to the perks board members gave themselves.
These allowances include a discretionary fund worth P60,000 a month received by the MWSS Chairman, the source added.
Meanwhile, P50,000 each is allegedly received every month by the vice-chairman and other board members.
The water agency has a nine-member board of trustees.
A separate representational and transportation allowance (RATA) is also supposedly given to board members.
Some P37,400 is reportedly given to the Chairman, P33,000 to the vice-chairman, and P28,000 to the board members.
During every board meeting, which is supposed to be held twice a month, each board member receives P14,000 as a per diem allowance, the source said, corroborating President Aquino's assertions in his SONA speech.
"Attending [MWSS] board of trustees and board committee meetings, and you get fourteen thousand pesos. This totals ninety eight thousand pesos a month. They also get an annual grocery incentive of eighty thousand pesos," Aquino said in the English translation of his SONA speech delivered on Monday.
The source added that board meetings are sometimes held twice a day, thus entitling them to receive P28,000 in one day.
Meanwhile, during committee meetings, each board member is also entitled to a P5,000 per diem, the source said.
It was not immediately clear which set of the MWSS Board approved which emoluments, since board resolutions are under lock and key and are very difficult to access, according to the source.
The excessive bonuses and perks reportedly began during the Arroyo administration, as Aquino's SONA expose implied.
Individuals appointed to the MWSS Board, a body which formulates water policies for Metro Manila, enjoy a five-year term.
However, since 2007, those nominated to the board held only temporary appointments, which can be withdrawn immediately, the GMANews.TV source said.
"Appointments to the board have been temporary so that if a member refuses to follow instructions of the 'higher-ups,' or refuses to get along, his appointment can be terminated," the GMANews.TV source said.
At the same time, the source defended the benefits received by MWSS workers, saying that these same benefits were received by other government-owned and controlled corporations.
However, the source was unable to identify which among the GOCCs were able to give these kinds of benefits.
Text messages requesting clarification regarding the matter were sent to Macra Cruz, MWSS Officer-In-Charge, former MWSS Chairman Diosdado Allado, and former Justice Secretary Alberto Agra who once served as an MWSS board member.
They have yet to reply, as of posting time.
Similarly, no replies have been received by GMANews.TV so far when it asked current MWSS board members Santiago Gabionza, Albert Balingit, and Ferdinand Mahusay to comment on the accusations via text message.
The current MWSS board members are listed as follows:
- Ferdinand Mahusay
- Raul Ragandang
- Virgilio Angelo
- Santiago Gabionza
- Albert Balingit
- Aurora Arnaez
- Oscar Garcia
There are two vacancies. No one has been named as replacement for the position vacated by DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, who quit the MWSS Board Chairmanship owing to conflict of interest allegations.
No one has also been named head of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC), which serves as the lawyer for government corporations. The OGCC has a seat in the MWSS Board since the MWSS is a government-owned or controlled corporation.
Singson cancels 19 'midnight deals'
The contracts, worth over P934 million, were supposed to be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, according to Singson. The projects involved mostly repair of roads and bridges damaged by the tropical storms Ondoy and Pepeng.
"They were signed just a few days before July 1. 'Di man lang ipinagpaliban (They would not even defer it)," Singson told the Inquirer.
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Batuhan seeks opinion on MCIAA honoraria
Undersecretary Aristotle Batuhan, who will be assuming the chairmanship of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority and Cebu Ports Authority and Cebu Ports Authority, will seek for a legal opinion from the Office of Government Corporate Counsel whether it is legal to grant honoraria or per diems to the government representatives to the board.
Batuhan, who was appointed as Undersecretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) for legal services, administration and comptrollership, has been tasked to chair the MCIAA and CPA Board of Directors.
According to Batuhan those government representatives to the Board of Directors of MCIAA and CPA should not be given per diems or honoraria because it can be considered already as double compensation, which is prohibited by law.
Batuhan said he will start to preside the separate meetings with the MCIAA and CPA boards tomorrow afternoon, but Batuhan said he will not collect allowances yet from these two government entities until after he can have the legal opinion of the OGCC.
"I will also make sure that the instructions of President Aquino and DOTC Secretary Jose de Jesus will be strictly followed at the MCIAA and CPA," Batuhan said.
He was referring to President Aquino's State of the Nation's Address (SONA) questioning and criticizing the granting of huge honoraria by some Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations.
Batuhan, a Cebuano lawyer, said that the government officials who are sitting as members of the Board of Directors of any GOCC are not entitled to honoraria, per diems, and fat bonuses.
Once Batuhan will preside over the meetings of the MCIAA and CPA, he will discuss the matter with its members. "We already heard the thrust of President Aquino and why we should further aggravate the country's fiscal crisis?"
Although Batuhan said he will not interfere with the activities of the MCIAA during the previous administration, but he said the detail of then Tourism regional director Patria Auroa Roa with the MCIAA was highly questionable.
Batuhan said when he reviewed the law he learned that only those Department Secretaries, the Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries are allowed to sit as members of the boards, but Roa has been an alternate member of the MCIAA for the past 15 years.
The Ombudsman-Visayas is still investigating the legality of the MCIAA Board's move of granting Roa a severance pay of P500,000 because the Commission on Audit (COA) said she is not entitled to such benefit.
But MCIAA general manager Danilo Augusto Francia insisted that the law allowed the members of the Board to receive honoraria and other benefits.
DepEd secretary lets city draft program for school buildings
Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young yesterday announced that Department of Education Secretary Armin Luistro has agreed to let the city government prepare the program of works and estimates of school buildings that will be constructed here.
Mike wants study, Tom says it's nice: City is interested in buying planes
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is being cautious while Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña is very interested that the city would buy three defective light planes worth P4.6 million offered by the Department of Education.
Gwen's brother elected as mayors' league prexy
Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia, brother of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, was elected unopposed as new president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter.
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JBC shortlists 6 candidates for SC vacancy
Court of Appeals Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao got 6 votes from the council that suggests names to the judiciary.
Former University of the Philippines College of Law Dean Raul Pangalangan and Court of Appeals Associate Justice Noel Tijam got 5 votes each.
Court of Appeals Associate Justice Hakim Abdulwahid, Commission on Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento and Asian Institute of Management Policy Center Executive Director Ma. Lourdes Sereno got 4 votes each.
Mutiny suspect freed
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Andal Jr., Maguindanao massacre suspects arraigned
Andal Ampatuan Jr. and 20 others, who are accused of taking part in the November 23, 2009 massacre, were arraigned in a hearing in Camp Bagong Diwa Wednesday. 57 people, mostly journalists, lawyers and members of the Mangudadatu clan, were killed in broad daylight last year.
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SMB a win away from finals
On Wednesday, the Beermen wore down the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados, 83-75, in Game 4 at the Cuneta Astrodome.
With the win, the Beermen took a 3-1 lead in the semifinals series, and pushed the Llamados to the brink of defeat.
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Imelda Marcos,daughter Irene to attend anniversary events
FORMER first lady and now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos and her daughter Irene Marcos-Araneta are expected to grace the Cebu Provincial Government's 441st founding anniversary celebration next month.
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Fil-Am named USAID director for RP
News of Gloria Steele's appointment as USAID mission director for the Philippines have been circulating in the Fil-Am community in Washington DC days before her formal installation last July 20.
Philippine Ambassador Willy Gaa was elated by the announcement of her appointment.
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