MANILA, Philippines–Civilian government employees would enjoy another round of salary increase next year, Acting Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said Tuesday.
On the sidelines of the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) submission to Congress of the proposed P4.1-trillion 2019 national budget, Avisado said the funds for the next round of Salary Standization Law (SSL) were already contained in the budget proposal.
Avisado said next year’s budget will allocate P31 billion for the further increase in civilian workers’ salaries.
The acting DBM chief said that so far, there was allocation for government employees’ bigger pay next year; the following years’ increases would depend on the availability of more funds, he added.
Asked if the fresh salary hikes would entail a law or an executive order (EO) before implementation, Avisado replied: “When there’s an approved budget already by Congress, nasa budget execution na tayo. Depende rin sa availability funds.”
“Magkakaroon tayo ng phasing diyan, at which time can the government be ready to implement that. Otherwise, talagang obligado naman kami kapag aprubado na ang budget,” Avisado said.
In July, the DBM said in response to e-mailed questions by the Inquirer that while the agency had no estimate yet on how much the next SSL would cost and by how much salaries will further increase, “the government has ample resources to finance” it.
DBM data provided to the Inquirer showed that as of last month, the government had over 1.2 million workers.
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III earlier said that the government “can afford” to rollout another SSL right after the last tranche of its personnel’s pay hike took effect this year.
Dominguez had said the proposed new SSL was already filed as a bill in the 18th Congress, unlike the previous SSL which was implemented during the past four years under EO No. 201 issued by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2016.
The previous administration had lacked time to enact the salary adjustments into law as the measure came too close to the national elections in 2016.
The fourth tranche of salary hikes under SSL 4 was nonetheless delayed due to the late passage of the P3.7-trillion 2019 national budget. /jpv