Solons push grant of cost of living allowance to gov’t employees

While Malacañang has yet to approve the latest bid for another round of wage hike for government employees, two lawmakers are pushing for the mandatory provision of a P5,000-allowance to all civil servants so they could cope with the increasing cost of basic commodities.

House Bill 6113, filed by Magdalo party-list Reps. Francisco Ashley Acedillo and Gary Alejano, seeks to institutionalize the grant of a special economic assistance to be known as the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for all government workers.

It will be implemented across-the-board, on top of the existing Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) previously granted for the same purpose.

The bill covers all civilian government employees whether employed by the national or local governments, appointive or elective, and whether occupying regular, contractual or casual positions, whose positions are covered by Republic Act 6758, otherwise known as the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989, as amended.

Also, the COLA is proposed to cover all personnel in the military and police service.

Under the measure, the amount necessary for the grant of COLA for government employees shall be charged against the annual General Appropriations Act, particularly the Miscellaneous Personal Benefit Fund (MPBF) or any savings realized by the Government from the current GAA.

In pushing for the bill's passage, Acedillo and Alejano said the current wages of government employees are still insufficient to cope with the ever-increasing costs of basic goods, since their prices increase yearly.

The lawmakers said the grant of COLA could be the best alternative in case the national government is not yet ready at this time to implement another round of adjustment in the prevailing salary rates, as provided in the proposed amended Compensation and Position Classification Act or Salary Standardization Law No. 4 (SSL 4).

Last month, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said several proposals for computing the proposed salary hike have been forwarded to President Benigno Aquino III for his consideration.

He said the joint resolution for increasing the wages of government workers would have to be approved by Congress before the end of the year so it could take effect in 2016.

Since 2010, the government has implemented three rounds of salary increases for its workers. The last stage of the Salary Standardization Law was implemented in 2012. — Xianne Arcangel/LBG, GMA News