Duterte: "Salary Increase For Military And Police"

President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to declare another increase in salary for the military and police, beside from the continuation of Executive Order (EO) 201 which implemented and have already increased government salaries starting this year.

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Appropriations Committee Chair Karlo Nograles declared this on the 1st day of plenary deliberations of the 2017 budget at the Lower House.

While the government is implementing the 1st tranche of EO 201 which already increased the salaries of government employees.

However, Nograles added that aside from continuing EO 201, the executive is set to submit to Congress a joint resolution that will amend the previous salary standardization laws and supplant EO 201.

Rolando Tinio, ACT-Teachers party-list representative, introduced that over PHP.103 billion of the supposingly budget is distributed for compensation adjustment.PHP.63.24 billion for all employees, and an additional PHP.39.5 billion for military and police personnel.

"Magkano ba ang maasahan nilang (police and military) increase? I think dapat lang po na mashare eh magandang balita ito para sa pulis at militar para ipaalam na natin magkano." Tinio asked.

Nograles explained that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is in close coordination with President Rodrigo Duterte regarding the topic about salary adjustments.

"I believe we must allow the president the prerogative to make the announcement in terms of how much military and personnel will receive depending on their rank but this P39.59 billion is under the miscellaneous personal benefits fund (MPBF). It will be the DBM who will be disbursing it," Nograles added.

He also said that he has assurances from the DBM that by the year 2017, salary adjustments will be immediately released to the Department of National Defense, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine National Police and other agencies.

"Let's wait for the president to make the announcement and what sort of scheme in the distribution we will be following. In fact, that will also be part of what will be submitted for consideration of Congress under a joint resolution," Nograles added.

The law will only have its' effect if it is approved by both houses of the Congress by a joint resolution. Nograles countered back that the budget allocations for the year 2017 to Tinio, saying that the PHP.63.24 billion allocated for compensation adjustment is for the continuation of EO 201.

He also said that out of the PHP.63.24 billion, P51 billion is for the 1,090,375 civilian positions while PHP12.34 billion is for the 359, 083 military and other uniformed personnel. A total of 1,448 458 positions in government are expected to benefit from the PHP.63.24 billion allocation.

But Nograles also said that a proposed joint resolution will soon be submitted by the executive.

"As I understand it, the executive branch is helping the legislative branch to come up with a joint resolution to act as our legal cover and basis for providing this additional salaries to the civilian and military and uniformed personnel," he said.

Tinio then explained that government employees, specifically public school teachers, were not satisfied.

"Sa kaso ng ordinaryong employees, usually pumapatak lang sa P500 a month gross pa yun ang magiging increase nila," Tinio added.

Tinio later pointed out that P39.6 billion of the MPBF under the special purpose funds of the president is distributed for a separate salary adjustment for the military and police personnel which was confirmed by Nograles.

President Duterte has been very keen in increasing the salaries of the military and police as part of his campaign promises.
Source: ABS-CBN