Fired government corporate counsel says he refused allowances

MANILA, Philippines — Unlike Solicitor General Jose Calida, sacked government corporate counsel Rudolf Philip Jurado said he refused to receive allowances from government offices.

In a statement sent to The STAR yesterday, Jurado said the alleged excessive allowances received by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) was also offered to the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC). 

“I never accepted a single centavo of allowances and/or honoraria and, in fact, I refused to accept when I was offered such,” Jurado said.

“I implemented the crucial recommendations of the Commission on Audit (COA),” he added.

The COA recently flagged the allowances given to OSG lawyers as the money should be remitted to the OSG’s Financial Mangement Service.

State auditors also found that OSG lawyers received allowances totaling more than 50 percent of their basic salary in violation of the rules.

Jurado said he instructed the OGCC’s accountant to process allowances only up to 50 percent of the basic salary and deposit the excessive allowances in the trust fund of the OGCC.

“In fact, I even ordered the OGCC lawyers to inform government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) to remit all allowances/honoraria to the OGCC for monitoring, and for payment of the correct amount of taxes since these allowances are, in reality, additional income,” he said.

President Duterte fired Jurado last week after Jurado allegedly granted a gambling franchise to the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport.

Jurado has accepted the President’s decision to remove him from his post. But Jurado has denied allegations against him which he said were invented by his subordinates affected by reforms he implemented in the OGCC, including those in relation to the excess allowances.

The President said he would not sack Calida.

Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay has defended Calida, saying the honoraria and allowances were paid to OSG lawyers in accordance with law.