Drilon: Congress to prioritize Salary Standardization Law before 2015 ends

Senate President Franklin Drilon. JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Congress will prioritize the approval of the proposed Salary Standardization Law (SSL) 2015 before the year ends so that all public employees can enjoy higher wages starting next year, Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Monday.

Drilon said he and Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, have agreed to co-author the new version of the SSL that would “fix the glaring discrepancies in the pay schemes between the public and private sectors.”

He said the Senate will give the SSL 2015 “urgent legislative attention” alongside the proposed General Appropriations Bill, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and other measures which the Senate and House of Representatives had agreed to pass before the 2016 campaign kicks off.

“We will immediately file the draft law. I will immediately talk to my colleagues to give it special attention. We will calendar it for committee hearing and plenary deliberation at the soonest time possible, so we can guarantee its passage by the end of the year,” the Senate leader said in a statement.

Drilon said there is really a need to pursue the new SSL to increase the purchasing power of millions of our state workers, who could not cope with the inflation.

“The new compensation package being sought will fix the glaring discrepancies in the pay schemes between the public and private sectors,” he said.

He said the low pay rates in government sector discourage competitive and highly-skilled employees, even the fresh graduates, from working and staying in government.

This was the primary reason why, he said, agencies experience difficulties in filling up vacancies in their offices, which, per Department of Budget and Management record, resulted in 191,988 unfilled positions in 2015.

Drilon said the proposed SSL 2015 will also solve the exodus of government workers, who leave their posts to seek greener pastures in the private sector and abroad.

“An improved salary scheme will be the biggest morale booster for all public workers to excel in their work, and is important if the government wants to retains their employees and recruit more competent and driven professionals, especially the youth, into its ranks.”

He said there are enough provisions in the General Appropriations Bill to fund the implementation of the first tranche of the salary increase.

Under the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund (MPBF), he said that P50.7 billion has been allotted for the salary increase.

“We will fast-track the passage of the Salary Standardization Law 2015 before the year is over. In this manner, all public employees can already expect to enjoy higher wages starting next year,” said the Senate leader.

Drilon said the proposed pay hike was “much-awaited and long overdue development” for the millions of government workers, who are paid much less compared to their counterparts in the private sector.

“In a way, passing the SSL 2015 would be a great Christmas gift for the thousands of public employees around the country.”

“I’m happy that we can finally move forward and make the SSL 2015 into law. There is really a need to pursue the new version of the Salary Standardization Law for the sake of our teachers, health workers, policemen and other government employees who receive wages that don’t fairly compensate the hard work they put in serving the people,” he further said.