Milyong buwanang kita ng mga mambabatas kinuwestyon ni Miriam

MANILA, Philippines – Ipinagtataka ni Senador Miriam Defensor Santiago ang labis na pagkita ng mga mambabatas base sa kanilang sa buwanang sahod.

Dahil dito ay hinamon ni Santiago ang Palasyo na magkaroon ng website kung saan nakasaad ang source of income ng mga mambabatas at mga opisyal ng gobyerno.

"It is urgent to stop corporate greed in the state bureaucracy. Those people help themselves to outrageous allowances and bonuses as if the government is an enterprise for profit. That is a sclerotic view of public service," pahayag ni Santiago.

Naniniwala si Santiago na may mga ilang mambabatas ang nakakatanggap ng higit isang milyon kada buwan kahit na P90,000 lamang ang kanilang suweldo.

"The basic monthly salary of a senator is P90,000. But if you add all other legitimate sources of income such as allowances and honoraria, the total monthly income of a senator could be placed at some P1.4 million," wika ng senadora.

Sinabi ni Santiago na dapat ay makikita ng publiko ang mga pinagkakakitaan ng mga mambabatas kabilang ang kanilang maintenance at ibang operating expenses, chairmanship of certain committees, membership sa Commission on Appointments, at oversight committees.

"There are some senators who did not finish high school or college. Do we really want to pay them this high a salary? That is a valid concern that voters might want to address, if they have access to information," banggit ni Santiago.

Nais din ng senadora na ikumpara ang suweldo ni Pangulong Aquino sa kinikita ng isang janitor.

"In the corporate world, there is an algorithm for determining how much should be the salary of the highest ranking officer, because it cannot be more than the salary of the lowest employee, when multiplied by a certain factor. That should also be the practice in the public sector."