COA: Diokno, Calida among top earners in gov't in 2021

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) officials received the highest amount of salaries and allowances for 2021, the Commission on Audit (COA) reported.

Based on COA's Report on Salaries and Allowances received by principal officers and members of the governing board of government-owned and -controlled corporations and of their subsidiaries; and of secretaries, undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and other officials of equivalent rank of national government agencies, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno earned the highest amount of salaries and allowances with P41.8 million.

The rest of the top 10 highest earners were also from BSP, namely:

• Victor Tolentino with P23.26 million
• Felipe Medalla with P21.8 million
• Antonio Abacan with P21.7 million
• Peter Favila with P21.67 million
• Anita Aquino with P21.4 million
• Chuchi Fonacier with P20.2 million
• Maria Almasara Amador with P20.175 million
• Francisco Dakila, Jr. with P17.8 million and
• Ma. Ramona Santiago with P17.3 million.

Tolentino, Medalla, Abacan, Favila, and Aquino are Monetary Board members. Fonacier, Amador, and Dakila are BSP deputy governors, while Santiago is BSP senior assistant governor.

Solicitor General Jose Calida ranked 12th with P16.59 million, while Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Rolando Macasaet finished 13th with P16 million.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo ranked 15th with P13.2 million (P11,194,845.99 as chief justice, with the balance representing salaries and allowances received for his service in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and Presidential Electoral Tribunal). Meanwhile. Development Bank of the Philippines President Emmanuel Herbosa earned P12.2 million, placing him in 16th place.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chief Benito Aquino, who earned P11.399 million, is at 19th place.

House of Representatives Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza got P8 million for 41st place, slightly above Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Guevarra of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) who had P7.7 million for 46th place.

Former Commission on Elections Chairman Sheriff Abas ranked 47th with P7.6 million, ahead of Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang with P7.5 million (52nd place) and Ombudsman Samuel Martires with P7.3 million (53rd place).

Home Development Mutual Fund Chief Executive Officer Acmad Moti ranked 55th with P7.2 million, while Polytechnic University of the Philippines Vice President Emanuel de Guzman ended up 57th with P7.1 million. —KG, GMA News