House leadership: Cabinet members to be paid more in FY 2022 | News

THE House leadership bloc, which is now reviewing the Senate version of the fiscal year 2022 budget, said Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’s spending plan for the American Rescue Plan Act funds includes “salary adjustments” for cabinet members.

The House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Rep. Donald Manglona has been looking into the governor’s ARPA expenditure plan which is Volume IV of the revised FY 2022 budget submission.

Rep. Edwin Propst, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, said page 403 of Volume 4 contains the list of cabinet members who will get an average of a 20% salary increase in FY 2022 from the ARPA funds.

He said based on the governor’s ARPA spending plan, the salary of Department of Public Safety Commissioner Robert Guerrero will  go up to $74,983 from $53,983 or a 39% increase; Department of Public Works Secretary James Ada, to $65,174 from $54,001 or a 21% increase; Finance Secretary David DLG Atalig, to $120,000 from $100,000 or a 20% increase; Press Secretary Kevin Bautista, to $54,000 from $45,000 or a 20% increase; Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Anthony Benavente to $65,174 from $54,001 or a 21% increase; Department of Labor Secretary Vicky I. Benavente, to $65,174 from $54,000 or a 21% increase; Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Commissioner Dennis Mendiola, to $75,000 from $54,000 or a 39% increase; Department of Corrections Commissioner Wally Villagomez, to $75,000 from $54,000 or a 39% increase; Department of Commerce Secretary Edward “Tofila” Deleon Guerrero, to $65,174 from $54,000 or a 21% increase; Department of Public Lands Secretary Sixto Igisomar, to $65,174 from $54,000 or a 21% increase; Department of Community and Cultural Secretary Joseph Deleon Guerrero, to $65,174 from $54,000 or a 21% increase; Special Assistant for Homeland Security and Emergency Management Gerald Deleon Guerrero, to $72,000 from $60,000 or a 20% increase; Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality Administrator Eliceo Cabrera, to $72,000 from $60,000 or a 20% increase; Senior Policy Adviser Robert Hunter, to $65,174 from $55,000 or an 18% increase; Special Assistant for Administration Mathilda Rosario, to $65,174 from $54,000 or a 21% increase; Office of Planning Director Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong, to $65,174 from $50,000 or a 30% increase; Vocational Rehabilitation Director Arlene Reyes, to $60,000 from $50,000 or a 20% increase; and the governor’s legal counsel, Gil Birnbrich, to $90,000 from $75,000 or a 20% increase,

Asked for comment, Finance Secretary David DLG Atalig said: “Many of the cabinet members have salary that is capped based on public law.  We cannot use ARPA for pay raises if not authorized by the Legislature.”

Propst said the administration is claiming it is not a salary raise, but an “equitable adjustment” for losing 20% of their pay during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said only a selected few and not all government employees are getting a salary adjustment. “And why do they [cabinet members] get an equitable adjustment when they already received illegal overtime?”