House to summon GOCC execs on fat salaries

MANILA, Philippines - The House committee on good government intends to subpoena officers of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) who are receiving scandalous amounts in salaries, allowances and bonuses.

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said yesterday he would ask the committee to summon Edgardo Garcia and Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio, chief operating officer and executive vice president, respectively, of the Development Bank of the Philippines, so they would be forced to attend the panel’s next hearing.

He said Garcia and Bitonio snubbed last week’s initial hearing of the committee on his resolution seeking an inquiry into the huge compensation of GOCC officers.

“They cannot take our invitation lightly. We have the power to compel their attendance,he said.

He added that the House would not hesitate to use such power on other bureaucrats and private citizens who would snub its invitations.

Garcia and Bitonio are among GOCC officers named by the Commission on Audit (COA) as recipients of scandalously huge salaries, allowances and bonuses, which amount to millions of pesos.

According to the COA, Garcia receives about P5 million a year, while Bitonio gets an annual salary of P4.5 million.

“These GOCC executives receive about P416,000 and P300,000 a month, respectively, compared to the monthly salary of President Aquino, which is only P95,000,Rodriguez said.

He said he could not understand why other bureaucrats should get more than what the President, Senate president, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and chief justice of the Supreme Court, who are the four highest officials of the land, are getting in compensation.

He said other GOCC officers receiving huge amounts of salaries, allowances and bonuses should be asked to justify their compensation package.

He named Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Narciso Abaya as one of them. He said Abaya gets about P3.1 million a year.

Leading in the COA list of GOCC officials receiving excessive compensation is Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority administrator Armand Arreza.

President Aquino has suspended these compensation packages.

However, officer-in-charge Macra Cruz of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System told the good government committee last week that they continue to get fat salaries, allowances and bonuses despite the President’s directive.