Alcala is highest-paid Cabinet member, says COA

By: Dona Z. Pazzibugan - 10 years ago

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Embattled Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala remains the highest-paid Cabinet member, although the P4.2-million salary that Alcala received last year was lower than what he earned the previous year.

Based on the 2013 report of salaries and allowances released by the Commission on Audit (COA) on Thursday, Alcala got the highest salary of P4,217,650 in 2013. This is lower by a couple of millions than his P6.04-million salary in 2012.

Still, Alcala’s official earnings were nearly double that of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, who was in second place with P2.3 million last year.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was the third highest-paid Cabinet official with a P2.2-million official paycheck.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona was fourth with P2.164 million while Commission on Higher Education chair Patricia Licuanan was fifth with P2.102 million.

Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla’s P2.062-million salary last year landed him in sixth place while Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was in seventh place with a recorded P2.018-million salary last year.

Science Secretary Mario Montejo, meanwhile, earned P1.99 million to put him on the eighth spot, followed by Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, who earned P1.92 million, and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin with P1.91 million.

The richest Cabinet official, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario was only in 32nd place, based on his official salary of P1.432 million.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima was in 13th place with a salary of P1.848 million, followed by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas with P1.833 million.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. earned P1.78 million to put him in 21st place.

According to the COA report, Alcala received P2,082,069.14 as agriculture secretary. His earnings consisted of a basic salary of P1,085,940, honoraria worth P29,000, allowances of P577,939.18, bonuses and incentives worth P127,190, and P291,999.95 in discretionary funds last year.

He, however, received a slightly higher compensation as chair of the National Food Authority, where he received P2,105,581.33.

The COA reported that Alcala sat in the governing boards of several government-owned and -controlled corporations for which he was paid little or no compensation.

These are the Development Academy of the Philippines, Human Settlements Development Corp., Land Bank of the Philippines, National Dairy Authority, National Tobacco Administration, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, Philippine International Trading Corp., Philippine Rice Research Institute, Sugar Regulatory Administration, National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) and ZNAC Rubber Estate Corp. (ZREC) for which he did not receive any extra compensation.

Nabcor and ZREC are among the government agencies that have been linked to the P10-billion pork barrel scam allegedly perpetrated by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, who is alleged to have devised a scheme to divert some of the legislators’ pork barrel fund entitlements back to the legislators’ pockets through the medium of bogus nongovernment organizations handling ghost projects.

Alcala himself is facing a plunder complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman for his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam when he was a representative of Quezon province and as agriculture secretary.

The next highest-paid Cabinet members at 11th to 15th places were Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman with P1.915 million; Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes, P1.873 million; Purisima, P1.848 million; Roxas, P1.833 million, and Education Secretary Armin Luistro, P1.82 million.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Alfredo Caguioa, P1.813 million; Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs Danilo Cortez, P1.804 million; Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronaldo Llamas,

P1.802 million; Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, P1.79 million, and former Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang, P1.795 million, were in the 16th to 20th places, respectively.

Ochoa was in 21st place with P1,780,406; he was followed by presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, P1.761 million; National Economic and Development Authority Director General Arsenio Balisacan, P1.727 million; Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Secretary Manuel Mamba, P1.716 million; Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., P1.711 million; Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino, P1.708 million; National Security Council Director General Cesar Garcia Jr., P1.678 million; Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles, P1.669 million; National Antipoverty Commission Chair Joel Rocamora, P1.669 million; Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, P1.631 million; Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, P1.607 million, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Joel Villanueva, P1.574 million.

Del Rosario was at 32nd place with P1.432 million; he was followed by Presidential Management Staff Secretary Julia Abad, P1.404 million; Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., P1.392 million, and National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Mehol Sadain, P1.351 million.