Ganid!

...is the Filipino word for GREEDY. I like the Filipino version word as it emphatically points out a deeper meaning for the word greed. If a Pinoy calls you "ganid", it actually means that he is insulting you, cursing you for a greed beyond compare!

Yesterday, the newspapers published the data from the Commission on Audit regarding the highest paid government officials in the Philippines in 2009. I will not round up the whole list, but I will give you the top 20 alone:

1. Arreza, Armand (SBMA) - 26,865,923.20
2. Ricafort, Benigno (CDC) - 14,506,455.74
3. Garcia, Edgardo F (DBP) - 12,718,942.61
4. Tetangco, Amando Jr (BSP) - 10,772,830.14
5. Bitonio, Benedicto Ernesto Jr (DBP) - 9,309,042.75
6. Geronimo, Rolando (DBP) - 9,080,633.12
7. Abaya, Narciso L (BCDA) - 7,654,597.14
8. Templo, Horacio T (SSS) - 7,073,488.92
9. Samia, Armando O (DBP) - 6,983,533.14
10. Quirino, Ma. Therese (DBP) - 6,753,136.41
11. Puno, Isaac III S (BCDA) - 6,010,701.40
12. Guevarra, Jesus II (DBP) - 5,672.395.45
13. Suratos, Armando L (BSP) - 5,525,347.73
14. Maldia, Wilfredo C (LBP) - 5,473,755.94
15. Sarmiento, Andres C (LBP) - 5,406,907.99
16. Garcia, Oscar O (MWSS-CO) - 5,401,391.22
17. Tejada, Benilda (DBP) - 5,216,276.46
18. Allado, Diosdao Jose M (MWSS-CO) - 4,969,239.59
19. Selispara, Crescencio R (LBP) - 4,917,216.99
20. Guinigundo, Diwa C (SSS) - 4,889,136.21

SBMA (Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority), CDC (Clark Development Corp), DBP (Development Bank of the Philippines), SSS (Social Security System), LBP (Land Bank of the Philippines), MWSS-CO (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System), SSP (Social Security System), BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)


Amazingly astounding! It makes you want to puke! The total of the 41 people listed on the COA amounted to over 2 BILLION pesos!

No wonder people want to be appointed in positions in government controlled corporations. My God - their salaries are not only "competitive with the private sector", but shocking by government standards. The perks are gargantuan and what is sickening about the whole situation is that government service is PUBLIC service. You cannot go on claiming that the "best and the brightest" work for the government and need to get compensated in this manner. Gimme a break man! If you think the pay grade is too low, don't join the government. I am sure that there are those who have their hearts and mind to serve the public in a capacity where there is no vested interest at all. And the names that appeared? I don't even know them. They're nobody! Their names don't even ring a bell.

Take Arreza for example. His basic annual salary is only P1.57M. But he received P18.16M in extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses, P6.832M for "others", P145,880 in bonus and incentives and P100,800 in representation and transportation allowances.

Guess what? Under the 2009 budget, the extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses can include all the following: meetings, seminars, conferences, official entertainment, public relations, educational and cultural activities, contributions to charitable institutions, membership in government associations, subscription to professional technical journals, office equipment and supplies, and other similar expenses NOT SUPPORTED BY THE REGULAR BUDGET ALLOCATION.

But how do these people get away with it? Well, they simply sit en banc as board directors, pat themselves in the back and say "we need to approve the following perks and bonuses and extra money and give more incentives to ourselves" and then it is cascaded down to the lowly government employee. Then everybody is happy! And everybody keeps quiet. It's alright their bosses get quintiple or hextuple the pay grade as long as they get the same bonuses (according to how much their salary grade is, of course).

No wonder people in government fight tooth and nail in order to stay in position. Sanamagan this banana republic. It peeves me, because this is not their money to start off with. This is public funds! They're from our sweat, blood, and tears. We work harder than them in order for them to splurge?

Greedy is a light term for these people. Ganid! Sana gisahin kayo sa sarili ninyong mantika.