Drilon assures SSL passage despite Congress ‘deadlock’

Senate President Franklin Drilon on Saturday assured the passage of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) amid an apparent deadlock hounding the Congress bicameral conference.

“Maaprove po iyan. Sa amin po ma-aaprove po iyan. Gagawin ko ang lahat ng aking magagawa para magrecommend kay Pangulong Noynoy na kanyang aprubahan po ito,” Drilon said over radio dwIZ, when asked about the chances of the SSL being passed and not being vetoed by the President.

Last December, the House of Representatives approved on final reading the proposed four-year P226-billion compensation hike for the government’s 1.53 million civilian and military personnel that would span from 2016 to 2019.

The Senate had also approved the SSL on final reading, but brought it back for second reading as it did not include the pension for retired military personnel.

“Ang nakalaan po sa budget ay P57 billion, hindi po nakasama ang pension ng mga uniformed personnel dahilan sa ito po ay tataas ng 39 percent o nasa P19 billion kung isasama mo. Kaya po yung 2016 budget ay hindi po naisama ng Department of Budget and Management ang pangangailangan dito po sa mga pension,” Drilon said.

“Ngayon sa kasalukuyang batas, yung monthly pension ng mga retired military at police pensions ay kailangan at the same level of those in the active service. Sa makatuwid, kung may P1,000 na pagtaas ang sahod ng mga heneral, yung mga retired na heneral ay dapat ganoon din yung itataas na sahod,” he added.

Citing a presidential decree, Drilon said the monthly pension of retired police and military should be at the same level of those in active service—the reason why senators included an indexation in their version, contrary to the one from the House.

But the Senate President said they had yet to come up with an agreement.

“This is a very serious problem, ang pension po ng retired police and military personnel, hindi po sila contributory. Hindi po sila sa ilalim ng GSIS. Ito po ay noncontributory, ang ibig sabihin ay wala pong contribusyon ang mga policemen at tsaka AFP hindi kagaya ng mga ordinary employees sa ilalim ng GSIS. Kaya po we use the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget, the taxes, binabayaran po natin ito. Pero ito po ay vested right na ng ating PNP at AFP retired personnel,” he said.

Nevertheless, Drilon said he was hoping the SSL would be passed before the Congress adjourns on Wednesday.

“Kung tatanggapin po iyan ng House contingent dahil sa amin may indexation pero unfunded, let it be funded in the next budget. Sa amin may indexation, the funding will come in the 2017 budget. Sana po matanggap iyan at matatapos na,” he said.