Gov’t workers get pay hike

Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman. (File photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippine — Government employees can look forward to receiving higher pay as the fourth and last tranche of mandated salary increases under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) V of 2019 took effect on Jan.1, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Under Republic Act No. 11466, wage hikes for civilian personnel were implemented in four yearly stages or tranches that started in 2020.

The DBM also reiterated that this year’s national budget had earmarked P48 million for a study on a possible additional round of pay increases for state workers.

“The government recognizes the indispensable role of its dedicated personnel in serving our beloved country,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in a statement. “We are firmly committed to help them amid rising prices of goods and services. We hope this latest salary increase will cushion the impact of inflation.”

Amid a clamor for higher pay for government workers in November while prices of goods and services were rising faster, the DBM said there was no need for such a move since the implementation of SSL V’s fourth tranche was near.

Guidelines

Pangandaman recently signed two separate budget circulars on the implementation of the fourth tranche of the salary schedule for civilian personnel and local government unit workers.

RA 11466 covers all positions for civilian personnel, whether regular, casual or contractual in nature, appointive or elective, full-time or part-time in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; constitutional commissions and other constitutional offices; state universities and colleges; and government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs).

The law also applies to all positions for salaried local government unit personnel, whether regular, contractual or casual in nature, elective or appointive; on a full-time or part-time basis, now existing or thereafter created in local governments, and all positions for barangay personnel who receive monthly honoraria.

Competitive compensation

Regarding the study for additional wage hikes, the Governance Commission for GOCCs will conduct a study on the government compensation structure of different national government agencies and GOCCs.

“President Bongbong Marcos directed us to conduct a study to ensure that the compensation of all civilian personnel will be generally competitive with those in the private sector doing comparable work to attract, retain and motivate a corps of competent and dedicated civil servants,” Pangandaman said.

“Apart from the conduct of the study, the DBM is also undertaking a review of the rates of the existing benefits being provided to qualified government employees to assess if these may need adjustment in the future,” she added.