Lawmaker hits meager pay hike for state workers

MANILA, Philippines — The planned five-percent annual salary increase in the next three years for government workers “is just a pittance,” Rep. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna said yesterday.

“It’s barely enough for inflation, which means that in real terms, the more than one million rank-and-file personnel will not be getting any pay hike,” he said.

Public school teachers and government nurses, he added, are still waiting for President Duterte’s promise of a substantial salary adjustment.

“They expect something close to what the administration gave the military and the police,” he said, referring to the doubling of the basic pay of the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

Zarate claimed that lawmakers are making life more difficult for government employees and the people in general.

“We are adding to their financial burden by imposing more taxes like the road user tax, which will increase by more than 300 percent,” he pointed out.

According to Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, who chairs the House of Representatives committee on ways and means, state workers would receive a 15-percent pay hike from 2020 to 2022, or an average of five percent a year.

His five percent estimate is half of what Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado promised during a budget hearing.

Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero said teachers, nurses and the rank-and-file up to mid-level employees should get bigger increases than higher-ranking and highly-paid officials.

“We have to structure the adjustment in such a way as to benefit those with low salaries more than those with bigger compensation,” Romero, who represents party-list group 1-Pacman, said.

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

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

Another deputy speaker, Raneo Abu of Batangas, said senators, congressmen, Cabinet officials and other high-paid bureaucrats could forego 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, noting that lawmakers are receiving about P300,000 in basic pay, while teachers and nurses only get P20,754.

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.

“It will be more than 10 percent of his salary,” Avisado responded.

“That means this employee will get at least a P1,100 pay increase,” Gaite said, to which the acting budget secretary agreed.

Gaite also said that the P32 billion in the 2020 budget for compensation adjustment would not be enough for a 10-percent across-the-board salary increase.

“For next year, the President proposed a far bigger P70 billion for the salary increase of soldiers and policemen, who are far fewer than civilian government personnel,” he added.