MANILA  – For the second consecutive year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. was the highest-paid government executive in 2024, based on the Report on Salaries and Allowances (ROSA) released by the Commission on Audit (COA) on May 28.

Meanwhile, Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. took home the biggest paycheck among the Cabinet members of President Marcos in 2024, COA reported.

Based on the COA’s “2024 Report on Salaries and Allowances” or ROSA uploaded on its website on May 26, Solidum received a total pay of P6.38 million last year, an increase of P319,000 from his P6.06-million net pay in 2023.

The audit breakdown showed that Solidum’s net pay for 2024 included P3.43 million in basic salary as Department of Science and Technology (DOST) secretary for 12 months; P1.5 million in allowances; P946,258.10 in bonus, incentives and benefits; P342,067.56 in discretionary and extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses; P24,000 in additional compensation and honorarium, and P142,104.56 from “prior years’ adjustment.”

Solidum took the top spot from Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla whose net pay of P5.28 million from P7.08 million in 2023 relegated him to third spot.

The previous third placer, Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero de Vera III, was now the second highest paid Cabinet member with a total income of P5.37 million from P5.19 million in the previous year.

Coming in fourth was Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian with a net pay of P5.19 million from P4.68 million in 2023, followed by Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma with a net pay of P5.19 million from P5.13 million in the previous year.

At sixth spot was Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa (P5.11 million), followed by Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan Uy (P5.03 million); Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III (P4.99 million); Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel (P4.96 million) and Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan (P4.95 million).

BSP officials again dominated the list of the country’s 20 highest paid government officials in 2024, according to the COA report that covered 1,009 government agencies including 131 stand-alone government-owned or controlled corporations, 526 water districts, 237 national government agencies, and 115 state universities and colleges.

The officials’ salaries, allowances, bonuses, incentives, benefits, honorarium, indirect benefits and extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses (EME) received during the year were included in the computation. 

Remolona received a total pay of P47.97 million — P12.49 million higher than his pay in 2023, when he also the highest paid government official.

Remolona’s pay breakdown follows: P12 million in basic salary, P18.76 million in “bonuses, incentives, and benefits,” P14.94 million in allowances, and P2.24 million in discretionary and EME. 

Remolona sat in the government boards of 10 other government financial institutions and corporations but did not receive any compensation for this.

Here is the full list of the 20 highest-paid Philippine government officials in 2024:

1. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. – P47.97 million
2. BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier – P30.39 million
3. BSP Deputy Governor Francisco Dakila Jr. – P28.82 million
4. BSP Deputy Governor Elmore Capule – P26.54 million
5. Monetary Board Member Romeo Bernardo – P26.03 million
6. BSP Senior Assistant Governor Edna Villa – P25.82 million
7. BSP Senior Assistant Governor Johnny Noe Ravalo – P25.37 million
8. Monetary Board Member  Rosalia de Leon – P25.28 million
9. BSP Deputy Governor Deputy Eduardo Bobier – P23.75 million
10. Monetary Board Member Benjamin Diokno – P23.52 million
11.   Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra – P23.11 million
12. Supreme Court Justice Ramon Paul Hernando – P22.32 million
13. Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Chairman Alejandro Tengco – P21.05 million
14. BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan – P20.9 million
15. Supreme Court Justice Mario Lopez – P19.56 million
16. BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat – P19.52 million
17. BSP Senior Assistant Governor Iluminada Sicat – P19.43 million
18. Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo – P19.13 million
19. Development Bank of the Philippines President Michael de Jesus – P18.45 million
20. Pagcor General Manager Redentor Rivera – P17.9 million

The ROSA is accessible to the public via the official COA website. COA cautioned that the data compiled in the report are taken from unaudited reports submitted by the agencies which were verified by the audit teams.

Hard copies of the 2024 ROSA were submitted to the Office of the President, Office of the Senate President, and the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives on May 14.