The Public Service Union says Rey Guerrero’s compensation package is excessive. Prime Minister John Briceño says the government is paying for experience, accountability and the careful management of hundreds of millions of US dollars. The Prime Minister is defending Guerrero’s reappointment as Director of Procurement, arguing that he oversees internationally financed projects that must comply with strict IDB and World Bank rules. Briceño says any failure to meet those standards could put critical funding at risk, making Guerrero’s role far more consequential than his job title might suggest.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Mr. Guerrero manages over three hundred plus million US dollars worth of projects. And they have high – they have set some very stringent requirements as to how we do about going about with procurement. That is why there is frustration sometimes within the government service or the ministries because, of the demands that we’re making for them to be able to set of the contracts. Many times contracts are returned and they have to do them all over again. So that is a part of the agreement that we have. Now, Mr. Guerrero has the central execution unit but also apart from that, he’s also in charge of the procurement unit, so he has double the amount of work. But he is not the only one that have, that has that position. We also have one in the Ministry of, in the Ministry of Education and MIDH and I’m told that there’s one that’s paid even higher than, more than what he collects.”
Shane Williams
“That’s one of the concern is the size of that compensation package are probably even higher than yours.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Yeah. No, the point I’m trying to make that we have another one that is being paid even more than Mr. Guerrero. But until we could be able to get the real professionals, people to be able to have the qualifications, the ability to do work, we’ll never be able to move ahead. It’s important that we can meet the issues or the requirements of these IFIs we will never be able to move forward.”
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