P2.1M a year for Corona decent, not excessive, says Civil Service Commission chief

Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Francisco Duque. AFP FILE PHOTO

When you get down to it, P21 million in 10 years in salaries and other emoluments Chief Justice Renato Corona received was not excessive, according to Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Francisco Duque.

Corona’s total compensation amounts to an average of P2.1 million per year, or P175,000 a month, which Duque described as “decent,” considering that a Chief Justice has  a salary grade of 32, which is the second highest next to that of the President.

As for impressions that the amount—revealed by a Supreme Court official during Tuesday’s impeachment trial of Corona—may be excessive, he said: “That’s what you call the tyranny of numbers. You do your math.”

Duque told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview that the figure wasn’t that staggering, especially compared to the allowances that officials in other government offices and corporations used to receive, such as the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The Commission on Audit earlier reported that the members of the GSIS board of trustees received P11 million each in 2009.

He pointed out that P175,000 per month, divided by 22 days of work, is about P7,900 per day. “This is not really as big as what you want to think it is,” he said.

Fringe benefits

Among the allowances a Chief Justice receives are representation and transportation allowances and extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses, Duque said.

The Chief Justice also receives compensation or allowances for serving in electoral tribunals and the Judicial and Bar Council.

“He has other fringe benefits and these are lawful benefits,” Duque said. He also said the judiciary had its own compensation structure.

As of 2011, a salary grade 32 official earns as much as P100,000 per month. The salaries under the different grades increase periodically.

Originally posted at 08:26 pm | Wednesday, March 14,  2012