Senator Bong Revilla proposes P12,000 hike in state workers’ minimum pay

MANILA,  Philippines — A P12,000-increase in the minimum pay of government workers is being sought in the Senate.

The  proposed pay hike is  contained in Senate  Bill No. 2356 filed recently by Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who noted the “dismal state of public sector workers.”

“Government employees are the frontliners of the state in ensuring public service delivery. However, the real value of their salaries [has] been significantly decreased by inflation and other present economic realities,” the senator said when he filed the measure.

“The salaries of those in the lowest salary grade level are way behind the government’s conservative estimate of the cost of living a family needs in order to survive,” he also said.

Labor unions had also called to raise the minimum pay of government workers to P33,000 per month for them to earn a living wage.

Last year’s data showed that a  Salary Grade 1 state worker would earn a monthly pay of only P12,517.

Revilla lamented the current minimum pay “reflects the dismal state of public sector workers.”

“Hence, this measure seeks to address these issues by providing a P12,000 increase to the minimum pay, and in the process, bring the low salaried government employees closer to the state’s assurance of a decent wage,” he said.

“In view of increasing the inflation-eroded salaries of government workers, the passage of this measure is earnestly sought,” the  senator then said.

In the private sector, minimum wage earners in Metro Manila get a P40 increase in the daily pay this year.

The adjustment raised the daily pay of workers in the non-agriculture sector to P610 from P570, and from  P533 to P573 for workers in the agriculture sector, service and retail establishments employing 15 or less workers, and manufacturing establishments regularly employing less than 10 workers.

kga/abc