Vice President Sara received P300K, President Marcos zero for Cabinet posts

MANILA — Vice President

Sara Duterte was paid a total of P300,000 last year as the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), while President Marcos received zero pay as concurrent secretary of the Department of Agriculture, a Commission on Audit (COA) report showed.

Based on the COA’s “2022 Report on Salaries and Allowances” or ROSA uploaded on its website last Thursday, August 3, Duterte received P168,000 in allowances and P132,000 in discretionary and extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses (EME) for a net pay of P300,000. This was for her six months as DepEd secretary from June 30 to Dec. 31, 2022. Included in the ROSA as the secretary of agriculture, Marcos did not receive any salary, allowances or other pay for the post which he has been occupying since assuming the presidency on June 30, 2022, COA’s breakdown showed.

Duterte’s take-home pay as education secretary, meanwhile, appeared to be the lowest compared to the amounts received by other members of Marcos’

Diokno’s net pay included P6 million in basic salary as the governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas for six months from January to June 2022, prior to his appointment as finance secretary for which he received P1.640 million in basic salary for July to December 2022.

Diokno’s net pay also included

P7.278 million in allowances; P11.555 million in bonus, incentives and benefits; P2.195 million in discretionary and EME, P24,000 in additional compensation and honorarium and P89,067 classified as “others.”

The second highest paid member of Marcos’ Cabinet was Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan with a net pay of P6.947 million. Balisacan’s net pay included P3.128 million in basic salary as chairman of the Philippine Competition Commission from January to June 2022 until his appointment as socioeconomic planning secretary, which entitled him to P1.646 million in basic salary for July to December 2022.

His take-home pay also included P1.182 million in bonus, incentives and benefits; P354,000 in discretionary and EME, P262,000 in allowances, P23,863.63 in additional compensation and honorarium and P350,636 from prior years’ adjustments.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, appeared to

The DOS called on China to abide by the 2016 arbitral ruling as well as "to respect the freedom of navigation — a right to which all states are entitled."

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China's claim in the South China Sea and West Philippine Sea which encroached on the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa  PAGE 2

KRISTINA

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, August 7 declined to give details regarding his recent meeting with former president Rodrigo Duterte, insisting that matters they discussed were "confidential."

Marcos met with Duterte in Malacañang last week. The latter reported about his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China last month and "also discussed other issues."

"There are other things that we discussed which I think need to remain confidential; that's between President Digong and myself," the President told reporters during a chance interview in Bulacan after conducting an inspection of typhoon-hit areas in the province.

"Again, these are operational aspects of our military, of our Navy, of our Coast Guard, that's why it is difficult to talk about it openly. I hope you will indulge me there," he added.

Duterte and Xi met several days after the Philippines commemorated the seventh anniversary of the arbitral ruling that invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea.

The Chinese leader reportedly urged Duterte to continue exerting efforts to promote promotion between the two countries. 