Lawmakers criticize MWSS execs for fat bonuses

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers criticized Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) officials yesterday for giving themselves P1.744 million in bonuses.

“I can’t imagine the four members of the MWSS board of trustees voting in a self-serving act to award themselves huge bonuses while mayors and other local government officials are receiving just a pittance of that amount,” Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said.

He said the grant of such bonuses “is absolutely unfair to others in the public service, such as those in local government units (LGUs) particularly the mayors and barangay officials, who have the same mandate to serve the public as MWSS trustees.”

“LGU officials have multifarious responsibilities to their constituents, particularly in the areas of job generation, peace and order, education, health and other services, yet they receive only starvation compensation,” he said.

Gatchalian was mayor of Valenzuela City for nine years before seeking a congressional seat.

As mayor, he said he received a total of P50,000 a month in salary and allowance.

The four MWSS trustees who gave themselves fat bonuses are Benjamin Yambao and Emmanuel Caparas who received P504,900 each; Ramon Alikpala got P388,800 and Gerardo Esquivel, P345,600.     

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda defended the trustees’ decision to give themselves bonuses, saying the amounts were incentives for good performance.

Aside from Gatchalian, Representatives Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus of the party-list group Gabriela criticized the bonuses and Lacierda’s defense of the so-called incentives.

They said they could not see the presidential spokesman’s logic.

They said the trustees do not deserve bonuses and even their fat salaries because they failed to protect consumers from profit-driven water distributors.

Proof of such failure is the recent discovery that distributors have been passing billions in income tax payments to customers, they said.

They added that Lacierda’s justification runs counter to President Aquino’s directive for officials of government corporations to pare down their salaries and allowances.