COA: OP 2018 payroll hits P1b-mark

The Commission on Audit has called the attention of the Office of the President after its payroll breaching the billion-peso mark for the very first time last year.

COA said personnel salaries, allowances, bonuses and benefits reached P1.029 billion in 2018.

The figure was higher by P199 million or 24 percent compared to the 2017 total of P829.66 million.

Based on Malacañang’s financial statements as of the end of 2018, the OP had a total manpower of 2,035, of which only 519 are holding regular plantilla positions. The rest are classified as non-plantilla (419), co-terminus (298), contract of service (713), and consultants (89).

Salaries and wages accounted for the biggest increase year-on-year from P516.13 million to P679.82 million—up by P163.69 million or 31.71 percent.

The payment of allowances, bonuses, honoraria and cash gifts during the year amounted to P249.867 million compared to P218.31 million in 2017. The biggest items under this are “other bonuses and allowances” totaling P109.88 million and “yearend bonuses” amounting to P57.5 million.

On the other hand, personnel benefit contributions, including retirement and life insurance premiums from Pag-IBIG, and Philippine Health Corp.’s contributions accounted for P76.67 million.

State auditors said the increase could be credited to the implementation of the fourth tranche of the Salary Standardization Law under Executive Order No. 201 of 2016, in addition to step increment of salaries and hiring of more contractual employees.

Foreign travels expenses increased slightly from P385.38 million in 2017 to P396.236 million in 2018.

Meanwhile, COA flagged the Armed Forces of the Philippines for releasing only less than P10,000 in cash aid to many wounded soldiers in the Marawi siege despite receiving donations of P274 million.

The AFP listed 2,266 casualties, including 287 killed-in-action and 1,979 wounded-in-action during the five-month long campaign to retake Marawi City from terrorist groups.

State auditors said accounts of the accomplishments of government troops spurred private individuals and various organizations to fork over millions in cash donations.

“Extensive media coverage of the Marawi siege prompted different individuals and organizations to donate funds totaling P274,964,222.02 to be distributed to AFP casualties as cash assistance,” the report read.

The distribution of the cash assistance to the soldiers, COA said, was not fully implemented due to lack of specific guidelines from the AFP General Headquarters.

Only eight KIAs received their corresponding checks in accordance to an existing directive that all soldiers who perished in the campaign must receive P1 million.

Of the wounded, only 949 received funds, but in the absence of a clear-cut policy on distribution, 23 WIAs were given only P2,000 each; 139 received P3,000; 265 received P5,000, and 19 received P6,000 to 8,000.

“No clear guidelines exist to serve as basis for the amount of assistance to be given to each personnel,” COA said.

One lucky beneficiary received P90,000, two others got P85,000 while one got P66,000.

Only P23.14 million was released as cash assistance, COA said.