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100% base pay hike of military, uniformed personnel starts on first payday of 2018


Soldiers, police, and other uniformed personnel will receive their paychecks with a 100 percent increase in base pay on the first payday of 2018, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday.

“The Senate President and House Speaker signed yesterday the joint resolution increasing the pay of military and other uniformed personnel in government,” Diokno told reporters during a forum in Manila City.

“So by January umpisa na ‘yan,” he said, noting that President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign into law the joint resolution this week.

Approving the joint resolution is a fulfillment of the President’s promise to double the base pay of soldiers, cops, and other uniformed personnel, the Budget chief said.

The joint resolution increased by 100 percent the base of a police officer (PO) I in the Philippine National Police or a private in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and equivalent ranks in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Public Safety College, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.

“A PO I and those with equivalent ranks will enjoy a 100 percent increase, resulting in a monthly base pay of P29,668,” Diokno said.

“Overall, the salary adjustments will result in a 58.7-percent average increase for all military and uniformed personnel (MUP) ranks, effective January 1, 2018,” he said.

Both House Joint Resolution No. 18 and Senate Joint Resolution No. 11 allowed a second tranche of base pay increase for the ranks of PO IV up to director general and equivalent ranks to be implemented starting January 1, 2019.

The increase in base pay for soldiers, police, firefighters, and jail guards will cost P64.2 billion for 2018.

“The increase will be funded from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund and from the available allotment in the respective budgets of the agencies concerned,” Diokno said.

The pay increase will effectively raise other allowances and bonuses that are computed as percentage of the base salary.

Diokno said the provisional and officers’ allowances will be discontinued as it is an interim measure pending the modification of the base pay schedule.

“The implementation of the new tax reform law will further increase the net take-home pay of the uniformed personnel with the lowering of income tax rates,” he added. — VDS, GMA News

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