Revilla sponsors bill raising salaries of gov't employees

Senator Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. sponsored at the plenary Tuesday the proposed Salary Standardization Law of 2019 (SSL V) for the benefit of more than 1.4 million government employees, especially those under Salary Grades 11 to 19.

The bill will address the issue of inequality in the previous salary standardization laws where the majority of government employees receive negligible increases while high-earning employees received hefty increases, Revilla said.

The proposed measure adopted a recommendation from the Department of Budget and Management as approved by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The salary adjustment will be given in four tranches under the proposed measure, starting in January 2020. Upon its full implementation, the basic salaries will increase by a weighted average of 23.24% by 2023.

“In effect, it will grant the highest increase ranging from 20 to 30%for employees under SG 10 to SG 15, and the lowest of 8% for government workers under SG 23 to 33,” Revilla noted.

The salary increase will help motivate government workers to improve and excel in their respective fields, and provide a sense of pride leading to more dignified responsibilities and greater accountabilities, the senator said.

“Lahat ng empleyado na may mababang antas ng sahod ay hindi kumikita ng sapat para matustusan ang pangangailangan nila at ng kanilang pamilya. Gusto po naming siguruhin na maipatupad ang batas na ipapasa natin at maibibigay sa ating mga kawani ang inaasahan nilang pagtaas ng suweldo,” he said. 

Some P32 billion is allocated under the proposed 2020 national budget to implement the SSL V.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, co-sponsor of the bill, said there is a need to push for the adoption of SSL V to bring government pay closer to market rates and make it competitive compared to the private sector.

“No less than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has emphasized the necessity and timeliness of this proposed measure. In fact, during his last State of the Nation Address, the President urged the Congress to pass the new Salary Standardization Law to increase the pay of government workers, including public school teachers and public hospital nurses,” he said.

Once passed into law, the minimum basic salary of a first level government employee will be increased to P13,000 from P11,068, to remain competitive with the prescribed minimum wage in the National Capital Region.

SSL V will give public school teachers salaries that are higher than the private sector by around 65% to 87%.

“This will not only give our public school teachers … proper compensation for the difficult task of molding our future generations, it will also make a career in public teaching more attractive and competitive than the private sector,” Revilla noted.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said SSL V is neither an entitlement, nor a handout. It is also not for people on welfare, but for working people in the government.

Recto said he has reservations regarding the rates in the bill because he is advocating for higher pay for those in the lower ranks.

“My duty, however, to champion for higher compensation for public sector employees carries with it the responsibility, in the interest of transparency, to fully disclose to the taxpayers what it would cost,” he said.

“Let me also put on record my call for the executive branch to revamp the position classification system so that items will be properly compensated based on the work done, experience required, competence involved and difficulty in execution. Like computer programs, the public sector plantilla needs an upgrade, to reflect the changes in the skills-market conditions,” Recto said. —VDS, GMA News