Iloilo gov suspends salary increase

ILOILO CITY—Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor, an ally of President Aquino in the Liberal Party, has suspended the implementation of the salary increase mandated by the President, saying the pay increase scheme is disadvantageous to rank-and-file employees.

“I have deferred its implementation pending a review of the increase. I will make representation with the President to ask for a review and rationalization of the increase before his term ends,” Defensor told the Inquirer.

Mr. Aquino, on Feb. 19, signed Executive Order No. 201 after Congress failed to pass the proposed wage standardization law.

The Salary Standardization Law (SSL) was supposed to raise the salary of government employees by an average of 27 percent, which will be implemented in tranches in four years.

Under EO 201, the minimum salary for government employees under Salary Grade 1 will increase from P9,000 to P11,068.

Unfair

But Defensor said the salary increase, under the executive order, was unfair to lower ranked and rank-and-file employees, while at the same time providing huge increases to higher ranked employees and officials, including department and assistant department heads in local governments.

“I would welcome an increase in my own salary but our dump truck drivers, clerks [and] utility personnel need the increase more,” he said.

The provincial government has around 2,000 regular employees.

Under EO 201, the provincial government’s Salary Grade 1 employees currently receiving a monthly salary of P9,000 will receive an increase of P478.

Up to LGUs

Employees under Salary Grade 8, with a monthly salary of P14,931, will receive an increase of P437, or a new salary rate of P15,368 a month.

But the salary of department heads (Salary Grade 26) will increase to P67,690 a month from P58,028, or an increase of P9,662.

Defensor said the implementation of the executive order is up to local government units (LGUs), subject to availability of funds.

If the salary increase scheme will not be amended and rationalized, Defensor said he will submit its implementation to a referendum among provincial government employees.

 Protest

“If they will accept the current increase scheme, then it will be implemented,” he said.

Several organizations of government employees earlier protested the passage of the SSL because the law would purportedly benefit only high-ranking officials more than the lower ranked workers in the public sector.

The Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees is pushing for a P16,000 monthly national minimum wage for government employees.