Teachers, nurses to get bigger pay hike

MANILA, Philippines — Public school teachers, government nurses and other low-salaried personnel will receive a bigger salary increase in the next round of pay adjustment in the bureaucracy.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, a vice chairman of the committee on appropriations of the House of Representatives, said yesterday the planned three-year pay upgrading program “will favor Salary Grades 1-17 with higher salary increases, while those in SG 18-33, including the President and congressmen, will receive lower increases.”

“The adjustments will preserve and somewhat improve the purchasing power of civil servants, considering the consumer price inflation of 3.4 percent over the past three years and forward estimates of two to four percent per year over the next three years,” he said.

He said the program would increase government salaries by 15 percent from 2020 to 2022, or five percent annually. Teachers and nurses hold Salary Grade 11, which pays a minimum of P20,754 up to P22,829 depending on length of service.

There are several bills pending in the House to upgrade the pay grade of teachers and nurses to SG 18-19.

SG 1 is the lowest pay level – P11,068 up to P11,732, while the basic salary under SG 17 ranges from P36,942 to P40,267. SG 18 pays P40,637 to P44,294. On the other hand, SG 33, which is reserved for the President, carries the highest rate of P388,096 to P399,739.

Two leaders of the House supported the plan to give a bigger increase to teachers, nurses and rank-and-file up to mid-level personnel.

“We have to structure the adjustment in such a way as to benefit those with low salaries more than those with bigger compensation,” Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero of 1-Pacman said.

He said officials from section or service heads to bureau chiefs, directors, assistant secretaries, undersecretaries, Cabinet members and lawmakers already enjoy pay and benefits comparable with their private sector counterparts.

“The bigger part of funds for compensation adjustment should go to low-ranking personnel,” he said.

Another deputy speaker, Raneo Abu of Batangas, said senators, congressmen, Cabinet officials and other high-paid bureaucrats could forgo their pay hike in favor of rank-and-file employees.

“It will not hurt us. We can sacrifice in favor of the bulk of our government personnel,” he said.

Leftist lawmakers said the five-percent-a-year adjustment is just a pittance.

By Salceda’s admission, it’s just enough for the higher end of the projected two- to four-percent inflation, they said.

Salceda’s five-percent estimate is half of what Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado promised during a budget hearing.

Last Aug. 23, Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite asked Avisado how much increase rank-and-file personnel would be receiving, citing the case of the lowest-paid employee holding Salary Grade 1 who gets P11,068 in basic monthly salary.