Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla shrugged off an online petition seeking to withhold his salary over allegations that he failed to fulfill his duties, particularly following the failure to arrest Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa last week.

“I haven’t touched my salary since I assumed office. They can have it if they want,” Remulla told the 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, initiated by activist group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), has so far gathered around 600 signatures.

SPARK accused Remulla of repeatedly failing to uphold his mandate since joining the Cabinet in 2024.

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

The group also criticized Remulla’s “Safer Cities Initiative,” claiming it targeted poor Filipinos through anti-vagrancy operations instead of focusing on high-profile fugitives.

SPARK further argued that Remulla’s annual salary of P4.672 million, based on Commission on Audit data, was undeserved given what it described as his failure to carry out his responsibilities.

“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.

According to SPARK, several petition signatories were from Cavite, Remulla’s home province, while others came from different parts of the country, including Cagayan, Surigao del Sur, and Bukidnon.