Senate bill for new pay hikes, addt’l benefits for gov’t employees filed

Senate of the Philippines. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to grant a salary increase to civilian government employees in four tranches—from 2025 to 2028—has been filed in the Senate.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada, through his Senate Bill No. 2611, also known as Salary Standardization VI, said the granting of additional benefits and modification of salary schedule would allow civilian employees to “cope” with the rising prices of basic commodities.

READ: Duterte signs law granting gov’t workers’ pay hike 

“The proposed bill intends to convey the government’s gratitude for their selfless service and utmost dedication to their work,” said Estrada, who also heads the Senate’s panel on labor, employment, and human resources development.

“The proposed measure will make the compensation of government workers competitive, thus helping retain the incumbent employees and attract applicants at the same time. Through this, we can expect a more vibrant and robust civil service in the country,” he added.

According to Estrada, his bill is “reflective of the provisions of House Bill No. 8081” filed by the representative of the 6th District of Batangas, now finance chief Ralph Recto.

Modified salary schedule for civilian government personnel

Former President Rodrigo Duterte previously signed the Salary Standardization Law of 2019, which granted salary increase for government employees and was implemented through four tranches that began in 2020.

READ: Salary hike for gov’t employees ‘worthless’ – ACT

Estrada’s measure, on the other hand, indicated that the proposed increases to the basic salary of government workers would still be given in four tranches.

Pursuant to SBN 2611, employees under the lowest Salary Grade (SG) 1 could receive a salary of P14,300 up to P15,158 on the first tranche.

Meanwhile, civilian government workers under the highest salary grade — SG33 – will get P461,058 up to P474,890 in the same period.

As indicated in the bill, the minimum and maximum salaries of SG1 and SG33 employees covering the succeeding tranches are as follows:

Second Tranche:
SG1: P15,730 up to P16,674
SG33: P507,164 up to 522,379

Third Tranche:
SG1: P17,303 up to P18,341
SG33: P557,880 up to P574,617

Fourth Tranche:
SG1: P19,033 up to P20,175
SG33: P613,668 up to P632,079

Who would benefit?

Estrada noted that the proposed measure should apply to all positions for civilian government personnel in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, including Constitutional Commissions, State Universities and Colleges, Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations not covered by Republic Act No. 10149, Government Financial Institutions, and local government units.