Arroyo files bill to double pay of soldiers, cops

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/NIÑO JESUSORBETA

FORMER president and reelected Pampanga Representative Gloria Arroyo has filed a bill that would double the gross pay of the policemen and soldiers in service.

In her House Bill 304, Arroyo said it is the policy of the state to promote professionalism in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) by providing adequate benefits to its members.

The bill seeks to double the monthly take home pay of the police and military personnel “in order to enhance the general welfare, commitment to service and professionalism of the members of the PNP and AFP.”

The bill mandates the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to detail the schedule of the adjustment pay.

The budget for the double pay would be charged to the savings of the PNP, AFP and other sources as determined by the DBM.

The PNP, AFP and DBM should submit a report on the implementation of the increased pay to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, the bill read.

The implementation of the bill may be staggered into phases not more than five years.

In her explanatory note, Arroyo said she filed the measure buoyed by the promise of President Rodrigo Duterte during the change of command to double the salary of the police and military personnel in the administration’s drive against corruption, criminality and drugs.

The former president is under hospital detention for plunder in connection with the alleged misuse of P366 million in charity funds for personal gain.

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