House okays combat pay hike of soldiers

MANILA, Philippines – The national defense and security committee of the House of Representatives has approved the measure proposing the increase of combat duty pay for all officers and enlisted men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Committee chairman Pangasinan Rep. Arthur Celeste said the panel has approved Joint Resolution 05 that increased the combat pay of soldiers by up to 25 percent across the board.

“We hope to schedule this measure for plenary debates as soon as possible and likewise coordinate with the Senate defense committee headed by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon so they could also expeditiously approve the counterpart measure in the Senate,” Celeste said.

Celeste pointed out that Biazon’s son, Muntinlupa City Rep. Rufino Biazon, was the primary sponsor of the measure.

Celeste said members of the committee noted the dedication of soldiers who constantly risk their lives to protect the citizenry.

He said the approval of the measure highlights the gratitude of lawmakers to the soldiers.

“We owe this to our loyal and dedicated military personnel, we must support them in every way possible to repay them for their service to our democracy,” he said.

Celeste said the measure will need an estimated P2 billion to finance the increase of combat pay of an estimated 88,000 out of the 120,000 soldiers assigned in combat zones across the country.

A private earns about P8,605 in base pay, thus a 25 percent increase in combat pay would result in a monthly increase of P2,151.

Soldiers currently receive a measly P240 monthly combat duty pay, hardly enough for heroes who risk life and limb at every armed encounter, Celeste noted.

“The last increase in combat pay was instituted more than 22 years ago, thus it’s about time we honor our servicemen with this increase in combat pay,” he said.