PRRD signs law
increasing salary of gov't employees
MANILA,
Jan. 9 -- President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed a new law on Wednesday evening,
January 8 which seeks to give civilian government employees, including nurses
and teachers in the public sector, their fifth round of salary increases.
The
enrolled Senate Bill (SB) No. 1219, also referred to as the Salary
Standardization Law 5, was one of the priority bills of Senator Christopher
Lawrence “Bong” Go, in addition to the Malasakit Center Act of 2019 and a bill
postponing barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, both of which have
also been passed into law.
In
previous interviews, Go said that SB 1219 satisfies the President's wish to
ensure a complete and holistic approach to salary increase for government
employees.
“The
President wants nothing less than a complete and holistic approach to the
salary increase. Meaning, he wants all government employees to receive an
increase,” Go said. The Senator filed in his first week of duty as a Senator SB
200 which served as one of the bases of SB 1219.
With
the signing of the measure, “the minimum basic salary of a first-level (Salary
Grade 1) government employee will now be increased from P11,068 to P13,000
(after all tranches, in 2023) due to the SSL 5,” Go explained.
Under
the newly signed law, the increase in the salaries will be divided into four
tranches, starting 2020 until 2023. A total of P34 billion was allocated in the
2020 national budget for the salary increases for the current year.
He
added that “around 1.4 million civilian personnel in the national government”
are set to benefit from the law.
Duterte
and Go have been staunch supporters of salary increase for government workers,
with the President even urging the Congress to pass the new SSL during his
State of the Nation Address in 2019.
The
President then certified the bill as urgent in December last year, allowing the
Senate to proceed to the third and final reading of the bill right after the
second reading, bypassing the rule that requires three days to pass between the
second and third readings.
“In
recognition of their invaluable contributions, our civil servants, the people
who dedicate their everyday lives to the service of the Filipino people, must
be given an opportunity to pursue a career in the service that would allow them
to enjoy competitive wages, enough to address their personal needs and that of
their families,” Go said in his previous statements.
“Lastly,
allow me to thank each and every employee, from the highest posts to the lowest
ranks, who has dedicated himself each and every day to the service of the
country and the Filipino people,” he added.
Go also
expressed his gratitude to his colleagues in the Senate and the Lower House of
Congress for their support and their efforts in making sure that the measure
was passed on time.
“Nagpapasalamat
po ako sa mga kasamahan ko sa Senado lalo na kay Senate President Tito Sotto
III at Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri. Pati rin po kay House Speaker Alan
Cayetano at House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez for their support in passing
this measure. Sana ay magpatuloy ang magandang performance ng legislative
branch ngayong taon,” Go said. (OSBG)
