Duterte signs joint reso on pay hike for soldiers, cops

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the joint resolution authorizing the increase in base pay of military and uniformed personnel (MUP) in the government.

Joint Resolution No. 1 was signed on the first day of the year, but was released to the media only on Tuesday. It also took effect last January 1.

The joint resolution was passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives last month.

“There is a need to adjust the compensation package of MUP in order to make it more commensurate with their critical role in maintaining national security and peace and order, taking into consideration their exposure to high-risk environments in the performance of their duties,” the joint resolution states.

The modified base pay schedule shall apply to all military personnel under the Department of National Defense (DND) and uniformed personnel under the Departmet of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA).

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno earlier said that MUPs will receive their paychecks with a 100 percent increase in base pay on the first payday of 2018.

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 earlier said. —KBK, GMA News