1st tranche of salary hike for gov’t workers to take effect this year, says DBM sec
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman assured that the first tranche of the salary increase for government workers will take effect this year.
Sec. Pangandaman made the statement during a briefing by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to the House Committee on Appropriations, as the House of Representatives officially begins its deliberations on the proposed P6.352 trillion National Budget for 2025.
Together with the rest of the members of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s economic team, she presented the key dimensions and highlights of the proposed National Budget for the upcoming year.
"For this year po, we’re still finalizing, Madam Chair, 'yung guidelines po, but initially, 'yung balanse po for the adjustment, puwede pong kunan sa MPBF (Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund) kasi meron pa po tayong more or less P19 billion d’yan. And then 'yung balance po, kukunin po natin sa Unprogrammed Appropriations po," the budget secretary explained, when asked about when the Salary Standardization Law VI (SSL VI) will be implemented, following the issuance of the Executive Order (EO) No. 64 on 02 August 2024.
The DBM earlier shared that the additional cost of implementing the first tranche of SSL VI for national government employees in 2024 is estimated at approximately P36 billion.
Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, who raised the question and clarification about the implementation of the first tranche of SSL VI, expressed her commendations to the budget secretary, especially for conducting important dialogues with educators.
"Siguro, gusto ko lang i-announce na si Sec. Pangandaman, laging open ‘yan for dialogue. Lagi ‘yang nakikipag-dialogue sa mga teachers, sa kakulitan ng teachers sa mga salary, sa anumang benefits ng teacher, lagi open ang DBM. So 'yun po yung kagandahan naman ng DBM natin sa ngayon," the lawmaker said.
To recall, Pangandaman met with the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) to deliberate on critical issues affecting the education sector in two separate meetings last month.
*Higher salary for sub-professional, professional employees*
Meanwhile, the recently issued EO No. 64 signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., granted a higher percentage of salary increase to professional and sub-professional government employees compared to the rate of increase for those in managerial, executive, and top leader positions.
The first part of the four-tranche salary increase for national government employees will begin this year, retroactively from January 2024. This will be followed by yearly salary adjustment starting January 2025 until January 2027.
Under the first tranche, the average rate of salary increase from SG-1 to SG-31 will be 4.41 percent, bringing the compensation of government employees to 84.33 percent of the market.
At the Sub-Professional Level (SGs 1 to 10), the increase will be between 4 percent and 5.20 percent. The minimum basic salary (SG-1) will be adjusted from P13,000 to P13,530, resulting in a P530 increase.
At the Professional Level (SGs 11 to 24), the increase will range from 4.50 percent to 5.60 percent in order to make government pay more competitive with the market. It is worth noting that this category includes the talent or skilled workforce required by agencies to carry out their mandate, thus, the pay should be comparable with the market.
For Managerial Level (SGs 25 to 28), the increase will be within 4.15 percent to 4.40 percent; while for Executive Level (SGs 29 to 31), it will be from 2.65 percent to 3.90 percent; and for Top Leaders (SGs 31 to 33), increase will be within 2.35 percent to 2.40 percent.
Compared to SSL V, the proposed rate of increase under SSL VI will be slightly higher, as leverage to increase the marketability of working for the government and engage high-performing personnel. (DBM/PIA-Caraga)
