President Rodrigo Duterte understated his salary, for at least the fifth time on VERA Files Fact Check’s count, as he talked about the sacrifices he and members of his Cabinet have been doing for the country.
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VERA FILES FACT CHECK: For the 5th time, Duterte repeats wrong claim on his salary from VERA Files on Vimeo.
Republic Act (RA) 6758, or the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989, assigns Salary Grade 33 to the president, the highest position in the government.
When Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016, his salary ranged from P160,924 to P165,752 per month due to wage adjustments under Executive Order No. 201, issued by then President Benigno Aquino III in February 2016. EO 201 granted a salary increase in four tranches from 2016 to 2019 for officials and employees of the national government, including the president.
While Duterte also increased the salaries in government, including that of the president, for 2020 to 2023 by enacting RA 11466 in January 2020, he is prohibited by law from benefiting from it. The 1987 Constitution exempts the incumbent president, vice president, and members of Congress from salary increases granted during their tenure.
Under RA 11466, the president after Duterte will receive a salary of P395,858 to P431,718 a month, plus allowances and other perks that come with the position.
Duterte’s complaint regarding his salary came in the course of his discussion about the alleged anomalies at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and how the government has been responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
At one point, he asked Filipinos to “walk the extra mile to help our country.”
The president said government funds are already depleted and he could no longer provide for subsidies so the economy has to be opened up even partially and people have to go back to work.
See related fact checks:
- VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Duterte’s claim about his salary still inaccurate
- VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Duterte understates his salary again
- VERA FILES FACT CHECK: How much does President Duterte earn monthly?
Sources
RTVMalacanang Meeting on COVID-19 Concerns and Talk to the People on COVID-19 8/10/2020, Aug. 10, 2020
Brodhead Media Features, Wrong Buzzer – Sound Effect, May 25, 2017
Official Gazette, Republic Act No. 6758
Department of Budget and Management, Chapter 5, Accessed Aug. 18, 2020
Department of Budget and Management, DISTRIBUTION OF PERMANENT POSITIONS IN THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT PLANTILLA BY SALARY GRADE FOR FY 2020
Official Gazette, Executive Order No. 201, s. 2016
Department of Budget and Management, National Budget Circular No. 562, Series of 2016, Feb. 24, 2016
Department of Budget and Management, National Budget Circular No. 568, Jan.5, 2017
Department of Budget and Management, National Budger Circular No. 572, Jan. 3, 2018
Department of Budget and Management, National Budget Circular No. 575 Jan. 15, 2019
Previous false claims on salary
- RTVMalacanang, Visit to the New Hope Village Housing Project (Speech) 1/25/2017, Jan. 25. 2017
- Presidential Communications Operations Office, President Rody Duterte departs the Davao International Airport for a State Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Feb. 22, 2017
- RTVMalacanang, Establishment of TienDA Para Sa Mga Bayani and Talk to the Troops (Speech) 2/22/2018, April 2017
- RTVMalacanang, 39th Masskara Festival (Speech) 10/27/2018, Nov. 18, 2018
Presidential Communications Operations Office, Photo by King Rodriguez, Aug. 2, 2020
Official Gazette, Republic Act No. 11466
Department of Budget and Management, NATIONAL BUDGET CIRCULAR N0. 579, Jan. 24, 2020
Official Gazette, 1987 Constitution
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
