Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Sunday dismissed an online petition seeking to withhold his salary over allegations of incompetence, stating that he does not rely on his government income.

“I haven’t touched my salary since I assumed office. They can have it if they want,” Remulla told DAILY TRIBUNE. “It won’t stop me from doing my job. I work for the good of my country. I work out of duty. I don’t work for a salary.”

The petition, organized by the progressive youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), has gathered about 600 signatures following the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) failure to arrest Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Wednesday evening.

SPARK accused Remulla of routinely failing to uphold his mandate since joining the Cabinet in 2024, claiming his office prioritizes public relations over actual law enforcement.

“For his two years in office, his department has failed to arrest corrupt politicians and personalities, including Zaldy Co, Atong Ang, Harry Roque and Gerald Bantag,” the group said in a statement.

“His inaction, that eventually let Bato dela Rosa evade accountability, is the final straw in a long line of incompetence and dereliction of duty,” it added.

The organization also criticized the department’s “Safer Cities Initiative,” alleging that Remulla directed state resources away from high-profile fugitives to detain nearly 120,000 working-class citizens and youth for vagrancy violations during an April oil price crisis.

SPARK labeled the initiative a “near-sighted, anti-poor measure.”

Citing data from the Commission on Audit, the group cited that the Interior secretary receives an annual salary of P4.672 million and argued that public officials should be held to private-sector standards.

“If employers can insist on ‘no work, no pay’ for their employees, why can’t we assert the same for public servants like Remulla?” the group said, pointing to recent inflation spikes.

According to SPARK, a significant number of the digital signatures came from Remulla’s home province of Cavite, where his family has long held political power. Other signatures were logged from residents in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan; Lianga, Surigao del Sur; and Maramag, Bukidnon.