DBM asked to tap MPBF for gov’t pay hike

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Minority bloc called on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to use the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) for the immediate implementation of the salary increase for state workers.

In Senate Resolution No. 982, Senator Bam Aquino and signed by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes, Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros asked the DBM to use the MPBF to implement the fourth tranche of the salary increase for government employees.

“Sa gitna ng tuloy-tuloy na taas presyo hindi dapat mabimbin ang dagdag sweldo ng ating public school teachers at government employees. Ang obligasyon ng gobyerno dapat tuparin,” Aquino said.

(Amid the continued rise in prices of basic commodities, the salary increase for our public school teachers and government employees must not be delayed. The government must implement that.)

This developed after DBM Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the delay in the approval of the 2019 national budget would also halt the implementation of the fourth tranche of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) for civilian personnel of government this year.

READ: Gov’t pay hike delayed due to stalled budget

In the 2018 budget, the MPBF amounted to P99.446 billion. Of this amount, P62.8 billion was allotted to compensation adjustment while P12.36 billion was for staffing modification and upgrading of salaries, Aquino noted.

In the resolution, Aquino said that with the re-enactment of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2018, the DBM may use the MPBF to fund the fourth and final tranche of the SSL under Executive Order 201 filed in 2016 by then President Benigno Aquino III.

The said order granted government employees four tranches of salary increases from 2016 to 2019.

Moreover, the senator insisted that the DBM is authorized to release and pay the salaries immediately, without the need for further approval from Congress.

With this, Aquino said the DBM should process and release the fourth tranche of SSL since there is no legal impediment for the implementation of the salary increase for government employees.

“There is absolutely no reason for DBM not to immediately disburse the funds needed for the salary increases, which can help government personnel in dealing with the prevailing high prices of basic commodities and services,” he said.

“As government employees, they are entitled to timely receive the corresponding compensation for the job done as this is their fundamental right,” he added.

He noted that in the initial implementation of the SSL in 2016, the MPBF was also used for a similar purpose and to fund deficiencies from salary adjustments. /ee