Duterte promises to double soldiers' salary by December

Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will definitely have a merry Christmas if President Rodrigo Duterte has his way.

Speaking at Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu City on Friday night, Duterte told soldiers their pay will be doubled come yearend.

“By December, you’d have doubled your salaries. This August, umpisa na, ngayong August. Tignan ninyo iyang pay checks ninyo. Nandiyan na iyan,” he said as the soldiers cheered in between his sentences.

Duterte initially announced a salary increase for men and women in uniform during his visit in Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija on July 26. He said soldiers’ pay will have an incremental increase starting August and tasked Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to find a way to deliver.

Duterte has promised soldiers not only better pay but also better medical facilities and better military equipment.

He told the soldiers that he is not trying to get their personal loyalty, but was just trying to make sure the country’s defenders are secure.

“Wala kayong problema. Lahat ibigay ko,” the commander-in-chief told his men. —JST, GMA News