MANILA, Philippines – Two partylist lawmakers are pushing for a pay increase for all government employees, not only for uniformed personnel.
ACT partylist Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro said the pay increase for the police and the military, which would be as high as 58 percent, would create a distortion in the salary rates of employees.
“Paano naman ang civilian personnel na gumagampan din ng trabaho? Apektado rin sila sa pagtaas ng bilihin at serbisyo. Kung tataasan ang sweldo ng military at police, itaas din ang sweldo ng teachers [How about the civilian personnel who also do their job? They are also affected by rising cost of living. If we’re raising salaries of soldiers and cops, let’s do the same for teachers],” Castro said.
“We ask this administration: Why make a distinction between civilian government employees on one hand and the police and military on the other when both are part of nation building? Teachers, nurses, or clerks may not carry arms and literally give their lives in the course of their duties but they work in government with equal dedication, to serve the people,” Castro added.
Tinio echoed that the Duterte administration must address the “legitimate demand” of civilian government employees for substantial salary increase.
“Majority of them are clerks, utility workers, public school teachers, nurses, social workers and other rank and file employees who also have the same needs like uniformed personnel,” Tinio said.
“They have the same right to be recognized and rewarded for their hard work as our soldiers and police officers, the same right to a decent life. There should be no special treatment in favor of the police and the military,” he added.
After just one hearing, the House Committee on Appropriations approved House Joint Resolution No. 18 for the increase in the base pay of military and uniformed personnel in the government.
The resolution will raise the monthly pay of entry-level cops or Police Officer 1 (PO 1) as well as privates in the DND, fire and jail officers, apprentice seamen from P14,834 to P29,668 starting January 2018, with corresponding increases for higher ranks. It will cost government an additional P63.4 billion in the first year of implementation.
According to the resolution, “there is need to adjust the compensation package of military and uniformed personnel in order to make it more commensurate with their critical role in maintaining national security and peace and order, taking into consideration their exposure to high-risk environments in the performance of their duties.”
The resolution was authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and appropriations committee chairman Karlo Nograles.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier promised he would double the salaries of state forces. The Philippine National Police is the lead agency implementing Duterte’s war on drugs, which has killed thousands.
The modified Base Pay Schedule for military and uniformed personnel is contained in the TABLE IN THE COPY OF THE RESOLUTION.
