No pay raise for gov’t workers in new budget

MANILA, Philippines — While there is no pay hike for government workers in the proposed P2.6 trillion national budget for 2015, the budget department is targeting another round of salary increase in 2016, or the year of the next presidential elections.

INQUIRER PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

This was the statement of Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad during the Development Budget Coordinating Committee hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio asked Abad if there is a salary increase for government workers in the new budget.

“There is no salary increase,” Abad answered in Filipino.

He said there was supposedly a study over the salary increase but due to the  previous year’s natural calamities, the study was not completed on time.

Abad said they are targeting the year 2016 for the salary increase, and so a study of salary and benefits will be done this year for another round of Salary Standardization Law.

“We are targeting 2016. As early as this year, we will be contracting out a survey of salary and benefits, and hopefully, submit a proposal to the president if justified by the survey for another round of Salary Standardization Law,” he said.

Tinio then pointed out that their target for a salary increase coincided with the 2016 presidential elections. But Abad merely laughed it off.

“Incidentally,” Abad said.

Abad said meantime that there is no salary increase, the government would grant a monthly performance-based incentive on top of the already existing performance-based bonus implemented in the past two years.

Tinio said this is the third time the national budget does not grant an increase in government workers’ salaries.

“Iba pa rin ang pagpapataas ng sweldo (Increasing the workers’ salaries has a different impact),” Tinio said.

The budget committee, chaired by Abad in representing President Benigno Aquino III’s finance team, is composed of the country’s main economic managers, among them Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Internal Revenue chief Kim Henares, Neda chief Arsenio Balisacan, and Bangko Sentral ng

Pilipinas Governor Amado Tetangco Jr.

The committee aims to assess the overall economic targets, expenditure levels, revenue projection and the financing plan in relation to the proposed P2.6 trillion national budget for 2015.