In an interview with InsiderPH, De Jesus said the complaint against him filed by a private citizen before the Office of the Ombudsman last Sept. 11 was likely instigated by a director with whom he had previously clashed over the bank’s lending policies.
The DBP chief said that when he was appointed by President Marcos in January of last year, there was a salary range for the position which he was compliant with.
“A few months later, maybe April or May, [the Governance Commission on GOCCs] came up with a new compensation and position classification system (CPCS),” he said. “Under that new CPCS, the range was narrowed.”
“But in government, there’s this rule: no diminution [of salaries and benefits],” De Jesus pointed out, explaining why his monthly wage was not cut in half despite the new policy.
De Jesus also noted that the current president and CEO of Land Bank of the Philippines, Lynette Ortiz, was appointed to her post under the new salary cap, hence her lower wage despite Landbank being financially stronger and more profitable than DBP.
“When Lynette [Ortiz] joined Landbank, the new CPCS was already in existence,” he said. “Had I joined six months later, I would have been covered.”
“When I joined, there was a [salary] range, and I was given the top of the range,” the DBP chief said. “The board granted me the top of the range. And there are board resolutions.”
Asked to comment on rumors that there are “some tensions” within the board of the state-owned bank over lending policies, De Jesus replied: “'Some’ is an understatement.”
“There’s only one guy here who’s giving me a hard time,” he said. “He’s really giving me a hard time. He’s making a big deal about my pay.”
Senior Reporter
