Senate vows passage of pro-labor measures

Senate President Franklin Drilon. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate  vowed  on Labor Day to fast-track  the  passage  of pro-worker  measures, such as  a bill  that seeks to  raise the tax exemption  limit on the 13^th  month pay and other  work benefits  in the   public and private  sectors.

“As a gift to the millions of dedicated workers both from the public and private sectors, we commit to work on the immediate passage of various pending measures that will have a direct and significant impact to their lives,” Senate President Franklin Drilon said in a statement on Thursday.

Drilon said among the pending measures that will receive “urgent legislative attention” is Senate Bill No. 256 which seeks to raise the tax exemption limit on the 13th month pay and other work benefits of all workers in the public and private sector.

The Senate, he said, is eyeing to pass the bill, authored by Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, within the year.

“We will work double time in making sure that this piece of legislation will be enacted into law at the soonest in order to assist our workers in dealing with the effect of inflation, and to boost their morale and give them a renewed inspiration to excel in their works,” said Drilon.
Drilon then urged the appropriate committee to fast-track the hearing on the bill so that it can be transmitted and discussed immediately on the floor.

From the present P30,000 cap, the  bill seeks to raise the exclusion limit on an individual’s 13th month pay and other work benefits from income taxation to P75,000.

“It has been 20 years ago since the enactment of Republic Act No. 7833 that imposed the P30,000 cap on bonuses such as the 13th month pay, and things have greatly change since then, making the figures no longer reflective of current economic realities,” he said.

The Senate also vowed to immediately act on two pending measures that seek to raise the allowances of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

Drilon said the chamber is open to proposals to increase the government workers’ salary to help them deal with the rising costs of living.

“Considering that the last tranche of salary increase under the Salary Standardization Law III took place two years ago, we recognize the government employees’ clamor to augment their wages, taking into account the increases in prices of basic commodities,” he said, noting that there were 1,205,375 government employees in 2013.

“We should study the proposal carefully and we should strike a reasonable balance between addressing the needs of our government employees and ensuring that we recover from budgetary deficit,” said Drilon.

But if the proposal is not possible in the near term,   Drilon then said they must explore other means and mechanisms which could bring the workers’ pay to equitable rates.”

“Our policy makers must ceaselessly look at parts of the National Budget which could permit and put into action sustainable salary augmentation, in a manner that would help our workers, yet would not result in budgetary deficit or decreases in other important sectors such as social and health services,” Drilon added.

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