Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla emerged as the highest-paid Cabinet member under President Marcos in 2023, according to the latest report from the Commission on Audit (COA). In the “2023 Report on Salaries and Allowances” (ROSA) released on May 2, it was revealed that Remulla received a net pay of P7.08 million for his first full-year term at the Department of Justice (DOJ). This marked a significant increase from the P511,308.00 he received in 2022.
Among the other Cabinet members, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, who held the top spot in the previous year, dropped to sixth place with a net pay of P4.94 million in 2023. The second highest-paid member was Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., followed by Higher Education Secretary Prospero De Vera III in third place.
The majority of Cabinet members saw a substantial growth in their net pay in 2023 as they were compensated for the entire 12 months, unlike in 2022 when many of them assumed office in the latter half of the year. Despite this increase, none of the Cabinet secretaries made it to the top 100 highest-paid government officials in the COA’s 2023 ROSA.
The overall list was dominated by executives of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, with Governor Eli Remolona Jr. being the highest-paid government official with a net pay of P35.48 million. The report also highlighted Vice President Sara Duterte’s pay as Education Secretary for the full year of 2023, showing an increase from the previous year. President Marcos, who also served as the agriculture secretary, did not receive any salary or allowances for the post, as per the audit breakdown.
