PDP blasts Tourism Co. chief sizable salary increase, bonus
At a time when the government is laying off some 20,000 public workers to save money, Tourism Co. Executive Director Jaime López Díaz got a salary hike of $36,000 and then, the following day, a bonus of $35,000, Popular Democratic Party Sens. Cirilo Tirado and Jorge Suárez denounced Tuesday.
They called for his immediate dismissal, and said they have evidence of the pay increase Nov. 17 and the bonus for the official, who also heads the Convention Center District Authority.
“When Luis Fortuño nominated him for the Tourism Co., López Díaz also agreed to direct the Convention Center District Authority for a [total] salary of $120,000. However, now they’ve raised his salary to $156,000, plus a bonus of $35,000,” Tirado said.
Tourism Deputy Director Mario González Lafuente confirmed the salary and increase information, and told The Associated Press that the hike had been agreed on in January, but that the district’s board of directors hadn’t voted on the matter until last week.
However, he said, the $35,000 “bonus” was a retroactive salary payment, and that he will from now on get $120,000 from Tourism and $36,000 from the district authority.
“This has been talked about from day one, but it wasn’t until now that the [district] board of directors has adjusted his compensation,” González Lafuente said. There was a delay because the board has met only two or three times in 2009.
López Díaz was off the island and not available for comment Tuesday.
The PDP lawmakers noted that the salary increase comes at a time when thousands of public workers have lost their jobs and the governor has asked public corporations to reduce Christmas bonuses by 25 percent.
“This gentleman has thrown out, in less than 24 hours, $71,000 from the public coffers. This is a lack of respect for the people of Puerto Rico in the middle of a crisis, while the governor alleges that he is [implementing] austerity [measures],” Tirado said in a press conference. “We don’t want to hear [the explanation of Chief of Staff Marcos] Rodríguez Ema, we don’t want to hear [it from] anybody [else], we want to listen to the Puerto Rico governor explain the actions of this individual and to fire him.”
The Fortuño administration estimates the government deficit at $3.2 billion and is aiming to ease the amount by reducing payroll, among other measures.
They called for his immediate dismissal, and said they have evidence of the pay increase Nov. 17 and the bonus for the official, who also heads the Convention Center District Authority.
“When Luis Fortuño nominated him for the Tourism Co., López Díaz also agreed to direct the Convention Center District Authority for a [total] salary of $120,000. However, now they’ve raised his salary to $156,000, plus a bonus of $35,000,” Tirado said.
Tourism Deputy Director Mario González Lafuente confirmed the salary and increase information, and told The Associated Press that the hike had been agreed on in January, but that the district’s board of directors hadn’t voted on the matter until last week.
However, he said, the $35,000 “bonus” was a retroactive salary payment, and that he will from now on get $120,000 from Tourism and $36,000 from the district authority.
“This has been talked about from day one, but it wasn’t until now that the [district] board of directors has adjusted his compensation,” González Lafuente said. There was a delay because the board has met only two or three times in 2009.
López Díaz was off the island and not available for comment Tuesday.
The PDP lawmakers noted that the salary increase comes at a time when thousands of public workers have lost their jobs and the governor has asked public corporations to reduce Christmas bonuses by 25 percent.
“This gentleman has thrown out, in less than 24 hours, $71,000 from the public coffers. This is a lack of respect for the people of Puerto Rico in the middle of a crisis, while the governor alleges that he is [implementing] austerity [measures],” Tirado said in a press conference. “We don’t want to hear [the explanation of Chief of Staff Marcos] Rodríguez Ema, we don’t want to hear [it from] anybody [else], we want to listen to the Puerto Rico governor explain the actions of this individual and to fire him.”
The Fortuño administration estimates the government deficit at $3.2 billion and is aiming to ease the amount by reducing payroll, among other measures.
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