President Duterte Slams Four Consultants Earning More Than P200,000 Each

President Rodrigo Duterte could not restrain himself in expressing his outrage over a government agency which hired four consultants with a monthly salary of P200,000 each.

“Meron ditong opisina, about four consultants. Ang bayad niya is 200 per consultant. Tapos syempre, may mag-intervene na. Sus maryosep,” said President Duterte in a speech in Malacanang.

“Mas malaki pa sa sweldo ko ang buang. Eh kung ganon, eh ‘di hindi na sana ako nag-Presidente, nag-consultant na lang ako,” he added.

President Duterte did not identify the agency nor the consultants.

The President holds a Salary Grade 33 with a basic salary of P222,278 or nearly double what his predecessor earned at P120,000 per month.

President Duterte urged all government agencies to go slow in hiring consultants.

“We have experts in government from whom you can consult when [the] need arises. Avail of their expertise. Seek their assistance. But if you cannot really avoid hiring consultants, then it could be good if you moderate their fees. Excessive fees cut into the budget,” he said.

“Be careful with public funds. It is not money that you are of liberty to spend at the people’s expense,” said President Duterte during the oath-taking ceremony of new government appointees.

Source: GMA News