Aquino may order pay hike for gov’t workers sans SSL, Drilon says

Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JOAN BONDOC

Even without the passage of the proposed Salary Standardization Law (SSL), President Benigno Aquino III may order a salary increase for the 1.3 million government workers this year, Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Wednesday.

Drilon made such recommendation as he revealed that the proposed measure remained “stuck” in the congressional bicameral conference committee over the indexation issue on the salary increases of the active personnel in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the police.

READ: Aquino could issue executive order if Congress fails to pass latest SSL–solon

“Well, unfortunately it’s stuck in the bicam as we talk. We passed the Salary Standardization Law, the issue there is the indexation of the salary increases of the active personnel in the armed forces and the police indexed to the retirement pension to the pension of those who are retired so if the salary increase in the active service, say P1,000, those retired also gets P1,000,” he said in an interview over ANC.

The indexation of the salary increases for the military and police personnel, he said, would mean another P20 billion to the P58 billion budget allotted to raise the pay of state workers in 2016.

READ: Senate OKs proposed pay hike for gov’t workers

Drilon explained that unlike government workers, the pension system for the armed forces and the police is “non-contributory.”

“Not like an ordinary government employee, they (the military and police personnel) will contribute to the GSIS (Government Service Insurance System). They are not covered by the GSIS and it’s the budget which pays for the pension so this must be resolved,” he said.

However, while the issue is being resolved, Drilon said the president can raise the pay of government workers at least for a year.

READ: House leaders defend hefty pay, paltry sums under salary law

“My recommendation is that let’s increase the salaries of our workers in government for just one year while we’re reviewing this very difficult issue,” he said.

“I think the president is authorized under existing law to decree or to order a salary increase because there’s already authority under the General Appropriations Act to the tune of about P58 billion for salary increase so he can mandate salary increases for our government employees, which is done in the past and then in the next Congress, we should work hard to see how we can reform the system, including particularly the involvement of our AFP and PNP (Philippine National Police) personnel in the GSIS because that’s the only way that we can solve this problem,” the Senate leader added. RAM