Angara upbeat GMA will sign bicameral report on government pay scheme

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Edgardo Angara has expressed optimism that President Arroyo will sign the bicameral report on the approved government pay scheme before the State of the Nation Address.

“The passage of this bill in the Bicam could not be more delighting than ever. This will definitely provide attractive compensation that will improve quality of services government delivers,” said Angara, who chairs the Senate committee on finance.

Senate Joint Resolution No. 26 adopts a total compensation framework or the TCF which seeks to rationalize and standardize the basic salaries, allowances, benefits and incentives for government officials and employees. The TCF’s primary component is the basic salary, including step increments.

This includes all existing and authorized allowances, benefits and incentives which shall be categorized into either: Standard Allowances and benefits; specific-purpose allowances and benefits; or incentives.

Any allowances, benefits and incentives that shall be granted to any and all government employees shall be limited to those three categories.

“This new government pay scheme will condense the gap and correct the distortions and anomalies in our compensation system, making the pay scale and structure more responsive to the pressing economic needs of our public servants,” Angara said.

The senator expressed his optimism that the President will sign the new pay scheme once it reaches her office. “This is in our priority and I am happy to present this to the public and the President and I have no doubt that it will be passed,” Angara added.

A 2006 study conducted the Civil Service Commission revealed a huge gap in the salaries of public sector employees and their counterparts in the private sector.

Government professional and technical personnel earn 40 percent less than those employed in the private sector; this disparity is even greater at the senior manager level, where the difference is as high as 74 percent.

Angara emphasized the importance to correct the distortions and anomalies in the compensation system. “We need to make the salary structure more responsive to the pressing economic needs of our public servants. We still have a lot of work to do.”