AMLO Donates 25 Percent Of His Salary To Mexican Hospitals

Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Friday that he would donate 25 percent of his salary to contribute to improving health services in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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During a press conference in the city of Manzanillo, in the state of Colima, the President, also known as AMLO, emphasized that "there can't be a rich government with a poor populace."

The initiative set the example in the application of a decree announced by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit on Thursday, that allows public servants to donate part of their salary to tackle the pandemic, in a range between 25 percent to 5 percent of their incomes.

The highest share, 25 percent, corresponds to the President, while the secretaries of state can donate 23 percent, the undersecretaries and the Senior Officer, or their equivalent, will contribute 21 percent; the heads of unit or equivalent, 19 percent; while the CEOs, 17 percent and the Deputy CEOs or their equivalent 14 percent among others.

When talking about criticism towards the decree the opposition has made, the President remarked this was not an "authoritarian measure", as he merely encouraged public servants to donate from their earnings because such resources will be destined to equipment for the hospital and the health sector in general.

"It is a voluntary contribution, because our adversaries, conservatives, organic intellectuals, speak of suicidal austerity" AMLO explained.

 "I reply that it is courageous honesty and "juarista" austerity," the President recalled, evoking the ideas of the Mexican revolutionary Benito Juárez.

The Mexican President´s earning amounts to 108,000 pesos ($4,806) so he is contributing 27,000 pesos ($1,201).

Back in April, AMLO announced a package of measures to face the pandemic, which stressed that there would be no increase in fuel prices taxes or new debts for the population in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government would, instead, reduced the salaries of senior officials up to 25 percent as well as eliminate their bonuses or any other provision of year-end.

"We are going to demonstrate that there is another way to face the health crisis, economic or any other kind as long as it does not allow corruption, strengthen values, principles such as humanism and rule for and with the people," AMLO said on April.