Wealthiest Cabinet member donates salary to DFA employees

MANILA, Philippines - The wealthiest member of President Aquino’s Cabinet has donated his full-year salary to employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as his Christmas gift.

“Secretary Albert del Rosario gives his 2012 salary to all DFA home-based personnel as his Christmas gift. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you, sir,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez on his Twitter account.

Hernandez did not indicate Del Rosario’s salary for the year.

A successful businessman prior to entering public service as ambassador to the United States and as foreign secretary, Del Rosario’s business career spanned several industries including insurance, banking, real estate, shipping, telecommunications, consumer products, retail, pharmaceutical, and food, among others.  

In May, Del Rosario said that the publication of statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) of officials may put them and their families at risk when he was asked during a forum about being ranked as the wealthiest member of the Aquino Cabinet with more than half a billion pesos net worth.

Peter Wallace, president of the Wallace Business Forum and chair of the Management Association of the Philippines National Issues Committee, read a question for Del Rosario about being the richest Cabinet member.

Wallace told Del Rosario: “I’m not going to ask you to answer this one. I’ll answer this for you. And the reaction is you told the truth.”

The secretary responded nevertheless: “If I can be honest I think that it’s a big sacrifice enough to be able to serve the government and the people of the Philippines but I think there are some quirks in terms of publishing of SALNs that necessarily put an official’s family at risk which is totally unnecessary.”

The SALNs of Cabinet members were released by Malacañang in May.