Drilon asks ARMM to slash personnel budget,
put more funds to livelihood projects

Senator Franklin M. Drilon has asked the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to review its organizational structure after it was revealed that 74 percent of the P13.99 billion proposed budget for the region in 2013 is allotted to pay for the salaries and benefits of its about 27,000 workforce.

"Of the nearly P14 billion budget of the ARMM, 74 percent, or roughly P10 billion, is earmarked for the payment of salaries. That is more than double the national average of 32 percent," said Drilon, "there is a lot of fat there."

This does not include the P49.72 million lodged under the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund which corresponds to the unfilled positions in the ARMM, added Drilon.

Drilon expressed concern that the huge allocation for personnel may also go to the salary of ghost employees believed to be rampant in the region.

"Assuming that these are not ghost employees, would you think that a staffing pattern review is in order so that you can devote more funds to projects to provide better service rather than the ARMM being an employment agency?" asked Drilon.

For the Department of Education office in the ARMM alone, it was revealed that 95 percent of its P8.25 billion budget for 2013 will go to the salary of teachers, noted Drilon.

ARMM governor Mujiv Hataman agreed to Drilon's proposal.

"Yes, Sir. Actually, we scrutinize at gusto talaga naming i-review yung staffing pattern ng ARMM kasi very abnormal ang situation, even 50 percent. Parang magbubuhos ka na lang ng pondo para sa sweldo halos wala ng ginagawa, wala ng panggasolina. Tinitingnan din namin yung mga ghost employees," Hataman told Drilon.