Duterte okays pay hike for govt workers
Credit to Author: Javier J. Ismael| Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2020 16:16:37 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a bill providing another salary increase for government workers this year.
Duterte, with Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go acting as witness, signed the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) 5 in Malacañang on Wednesday, based on photos released by the Palace.
In a statement, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the new law, which the President had certified as urgent, “provides for a performance-based incentive scheme to reward outstanding public servants.”
“This recently enacted measure will rationalize the compensation of all civilian personnel, including those in the legislative and judicial branches of the government as well as of local government units under der certain conditions for the purpose of creating an atmosphere which would further promote excellence in the service,” he added.
“The Office of the President notes that the law is at the initiative — and has the strong support — of PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) pursuant to his desire to upgrade the standard of living of government employees,” Panelo said.
He added that the new law “is aimed at benefiting those hardworking men and women in the government, including our teachers and nurses who unfortunately have been neglected in the past.”
“The new compensation scheme is competitive with those of the private sector to attract or
maintain talented human resources,” the Palace official said.
“The Palace hopes that this latest round of salary adjustment will motivate everyone in the public sector to work doubly hard and put more dedicated and competent service in their respective jobs,” Panelo added.
Under the new law, the salary adjustment will be given in four tranches starting in January 2020 and ending in 2023
The largest increases range from 20 to 30 percent for employees under Salary Grades (SGs) 10 to 15, while those under SGs 23 to 33 will get an 8-percent raise.
SSL 5 will give public school teachers salary increases, which are 65 to 87 percent higher than what is being given to their private sector counterparts.
In a statement issued earlier on Thursday, Go said around P34 billion was allocated in the P4.1-trillion 2020 national budget for the scheduled salary increases this year.
The senator noted that the minimum basic salary of a government employee with SG 1 would now be raised from P11,068 to P13,000 following the signing of SSL 5.
“The President wants nothing less than a complete and holistic approach to the salary increase. Meaning, he wants all government employees to receive an increase,” Go said.
“In recognition of their invaluable contributions, our civil servants, the people who dedicate their everyday lives to the service of the Filipino people, must be given an opportunity to pursue a career in the service that would allow them to enjoy competitive wages, enough to address their personal needs and that of their families,” he added.
Based on the latest data from the Department of Budget and Management, there are more than 1.4 million government employees who would benefit from the new law.
Go also expressed his gratitude to his colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives for their support and their efforts in making sure that the measure was passed on time.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa mga kasamahan ko sa Senado, lalo na kay Senate President Tito Sotto 3rd at Senate Majority Leader [Juan Miguel] Zubiri. Pati rin po kay House Speaker Alan Cayetano at House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez for their support in passing this measure. Sana ay magpatuloy ang magandang performance ng legislative branch ngayong taon (I thank my colleagues in the Senate, especially Senate President Tito Sotto 3rd and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. Also to House Speaker Alan Cayetano and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez for their support in passing this measure. I hope the good performance of the legislative branch will continue this year),” Go said.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers Philippines, however, denounced the SSL 5, with Secretary General Raymond Basilio calling it a “betrayal to teachers and to the Filipino people”.
“Teachers play a key role in national development as frontliners in the delivery of education — a social service and an essential element in achieving peace and progress in the country,” Basilio said.
“The government’s continued neglect of our welfare reflects on their same disregard of the youth’s right to quality education and our future as a nation,” he added.
Basilio said teachers’ meager salaries remained to be one of the biggest roadblocks in the delivery of quality education.
With a reports from JAN ARCILLA AND CATHERINE VALENTE