Comelec union hits fat salaries of govt execs

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections rank and file employees on Wednesday scored the high salaries and benefits received by top government officials of the Aquino administration.

Members of the the Comelec Employees Union hit the fat salaries and perks of high ranking government officials.

"While top officials of the Aquino Administration enjoy fat and scandalous salaries and perks, rank and file employees of the Comelec are not adequately compensated," Armando Mallorca, the union's vice-president for external affairs, said. 

Mallorca said the salary of poll employees is not at par with those received by workers in other constitutional bodies and other government agencies.

He noted that a  provincial election supervisor 1 is paid with wages much lower than a division chief in other government offices.

Meanwhile, an election officer 1 gets a measly monthly salary of P18, 333 despite their huge responsibility of running the elections in a district, city or municipality, Mallorca added.

"Our menial pay has, in fact, been a source of demoralization and embarrassment for us election officials in the frontlines especially during elections," Mallorca said.

He said that during the elections, the honoraria received by city or municipal election officers, who serve as chairmen of the boards of canvassers, are much lower compared to those received by the Boards’ members, the city or municipal prosecutor and city or municipal DepEd supervisor, because the honoraria is computed based on their basic pay.

"This is why, it pains us to hear of scandalous salaries and perks of Cabinet Secretaries while we who labor very hard every elections just to ensure that those who would appoint these top executives to their positions are elected without a hitch, are paid with just a mere pittance," he said.

He called for the immediate adjustment in the salary of Comelec officials and employees to bridge the unjust wage gap.

He also said the Comelec-EU supports calls for the increase of P6,000 in the minimum pay of government employees nationwide. - Dennis Carcamo