COA: Ex-UCPB president, Calida are highest paid gov't officials in 2019

Former United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) president Higinio “Joey” Macadaeg Jr. and Solicitor General Jose Calida got the highest amount of salaries and allowances for their government jobs in 2019 with P20 million and P16 million respectively, a Commission on Audit (COA) report showed.

Based on COA’s 2019 report on salaries and allowances released this month, Macadaeg topped the field with P20.4 million worth of earnings from salaries and allowances even if he quit his post back in July 2019 due to personal reasons. 

Calida, who ranked second, earned P16.9 million. 

A close third is Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno with P15.4 million. 

The rest of those in the top 10 list of government officials with the highest earnings came from the BSP and UCPB, making Calida the lone OSG official in the top 10 list. 

Supreme Court Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta ranked 13th with P10.3 million.

Calida three times richer

Calida’s P16 million worth of salary and other compensation is three to five times the amount received by his colleagues in the OSG.

Based on the same COA report, the second highest earner in the OSG is Rex Bernardo Pascual, who ranked 264th with P4.4 million.

The third richest among OSG employees is James Lee Cundangan, who earned P4.27 million, good for 292nd place.

Rounding up the top earners in the OSG were:

• Thomas Matias Laragan (P4.24 million, 297th place)
• Bernard Hernandez (P4.14 million 330th place)
• Eric Panga (P4.05 million, 340th place)
• Marissa Galandines (P3.96 million, 366th place)
• Magtanggol Castro (P3.95 million, 367th place)
• Raymund Rigodon (P3.85 million, 380th place)
• Ma. Antonia Dizon (P3.84 million)

In the same report for 2017, Calida ranked fourth after earning a total amount of P10.7 million, including nearly P9 million in honoraria and allowances.

At the time, COA had flagged as "excessive" the honoraria and allowances for lawyers of the OSG, which in turn called the audit agency's argument "without basis."

Calida's predecessor Florin Hilbay has also previously defended the amount of honoraria and allowances for OSG lawyers.

"There is a practical reason for these allowances: to allow the institution to retain good lawyers. Litigation takes time and expertise needs to be developed. If OSG lawyers are so easily pirated by law firms and corporations, it will prevent the government from developing a good career bureaucracy that can litigate for the republic over long periods," Hilbay said.  —KG/BM/JST/RSJ, GMA News