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Corruption in Clark Philippines exposed by Inquirer prompting Gonzales to ask Malacañang for an “honest to goodness” audit

EXPRESSING SHOCK at the fat paychecks, perks and bonuses enjoyed by top executives of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs), House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II Saturday said he would call for an investigation to exact “transparency and accountability” from these officials.

“I think I’m in the wrong profession,” quipped Gonzales, the representative of the lone district of Mandaluyong City. He was commenting on a Commission on Audit (COA) report listing the officials receiving the highest salaries and allowances from the government, led by executives of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and Clark Development Corp. (CDC).

Gonzales said Malacañang should order an “honest to goodness” audit of the pay scales of all GOCCs and government financial institutions (GFIs), as well as allowances received, “inclusive of all representation and travel allowances, to see how big a drain this has become on the [state] coffers.”

He said some officers of GOCCs had not been transparent and accountable, and were not even paying proper taxes.

“They have a lot of explaining to do … for not so huge government enterprises to be able to pay that kind of salary,” Gonzales said, citing the case of Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp., whose officials were said to receive close to P5 million a year in salaries and bonuses.

Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara said the government was “doing the right thing” in ordering a salary review.

He added: “As a general rule, it makes more sense to pay full-time executives like presidents of GFIs and other agencies a decent salary competitive with what they would get in the private sector. You need to attract good people to these positions, and you also need them to receive proper incentives so they do not steal.

“Members of the various boards, however, who only attend board meetings once or twice a month, should not be as well compensated because they are able to work elsewhere and their work loads are nowhere near as demanding as those of the full-time executives.

“In short, the pay should be commensurate to the work performed and the opportunities available.”

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