Senate executives had over P1 million in miscellaneous expenses in 2009

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate’s top 10 officials enjoyed extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses amounting to P1.083 million each in 2009, more than double their annual salaries.

Except for Senate Secretary Emma Lilia-Reyes, her three deputy secretaries and the Senate’s four directors general, Senate legal counsel and sergeant-at-arms received P1,082,799.84 each in what was dubbed as “extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses.”

A Senate official explained that “extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses” are expenses on office activities of the head of office. It can cover expenses incurred to entertain guests, lunch appointments and even payment for flowers for the dead, as maybe reflected in official receipts submitted to government auditors, the official said.

“Directors up to the Secretary all have budgets to be used by the head of office... this includes the extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses,” a source told The STAR. “The higher the position, the higher their budget.”

While the Senate executives’ perks are being scrutinized by the Commission on Audit (COA), the government auditors are also reportedly questioning other “personal allowances” which they have kept for themselves.

“These are the allowances not for use to upkeep their office but for their own personal allowances, different from the ones provided under the Salary Standardization Law,” the source said. “(These allowances) are over and above what is provided by the law, and actually on top of their regular budget.”

Reyes posted P756,246 as basic salary in 2009, received allowances and bonuses amounting to P265,784 and incurring P1,980,796 in extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses and an additional P173,041 under the “others” bracket.

Reyes also had P132,000 in representation and transportation allowance (RATA), P24,000 in PERA/Adcom; clothing and uniform allowance of P4,000 and a medical expense of P3,000 for last year.

The data are reflected in COA’s 2009 report on salaries and allowan- ces received by principal officers and members of governing boards of government-owned and controlled corporations and their subsidiaries, and officials of national government agencies (NGAs).

Holding the ranks of deputy secretary are Edwin Bellen (for legislation); lawyer Arnel Jose Banas (for administration and financial services) and Peter Paul Pineda (for external affairs and relations).

The Senate’s three deputy secretaries enjoyed the same basic salary of P563,910 each; uniform rate of P104,400 in RATA; P24,000 in PERA/Adcom: and P4,000 in clothing allowances. 

Banas submitted P52,738 in medical expenses; Bellen, P41,365 and Pineda, P25,155 also in medical expenses.

Those who hold the post of director general are: Ronald Golding, chief of the Senate Economic Planning Office; Yolanda Doblon, head of the Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO); lawyer Rodolfo Noel Quimbo, head of the Blue Ribbon Oversight Office Management; and Carmen Arcenio.

A scrutiny of the COA report showed that the five directors general incurred the average RATA of P104,400 each with the PERA/Adcom of P24,000; clothing allowance of P4,000 each.

Doblon, Arcenio and Quimbo listed P3,000 each for their medical expense while Golding incurred P44,393 in medical expenses.

Their bonuses and allowances averaged P221,000, except for Quimbo who listed P204,030 for 2009. 

All the Senate executives also had over P100,000 but not more than P173,000 listed under the bracket of “others” expenses, which is different from the extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses that amounted to P1,082,799.84 each.

Senate Sgt.-At-Arms retired Gen. Jose Balajadia, who oversees security operations at the Senate, also submitted P1,082,799.84 in extraordinary and miscellaneous allowances, while his bonus and allowances totaled P12,915 and had P130,060 “other” expenses.

Balajadia, along with Senate legal counsel David Jonathan Yap, also enjoyed the uniform P104,400 in RATA, P24,000 in PERA/Adcom; P4,000 in clothing and uniform allowance.

The COA also audited the salaries and allowances of Juan Borra, the Senate’s head executive assistant, who had P393,485 basic salary, P131,525 in bonus and allowances, and P812,099,88 in extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses. He also had P81,795 in “other” expenses.

In a press statement released prior to the All Saints’ Day break, Reyes justified the allowances of the Senate officials as a move to encourage professionals to join public service.

Last week, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile defended the extravagant allowances of Senate executives, saying he merely wanted to make it at par with their counterparts at the House of Representatives.

Enrile noted that the allowances of the Senate executives were notably lower compared to the millions enjoyed by GOCC executives, whose fat bonuses and perks were recently subjected to an extensive review by the Senate finance committee led by Sen. Franklin Drilon.