A militant lawmaker on Thursday asked the House of Representatives to reconsider its approval on second reading of the proposed Salary Standardization Law by increasing the salaries for many of the government employees.
“The House approved SSL 2015 without changing even slightly the paltry hikes proposed by Malacañang for the vast majority of those working in government,” ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, member of the House opposition’s Makabayan Bloc, said.
“After three years of not having salary increases, hundreds of thousands of rank-and-file government employees are furious that Congress gave its stamp of approval to this highly unjust bill,” he added.
Tinio revealed that SSL 2015 will increase the basic salaries of teachers and nurses by a measly P2,205 over four years, or 11.89 percent higher than their current pay, with entry-level, Salary Grade 11, from P18,549 to P20,754. This amounts to additional finances of only P24 per day for these professionals, he added.
Rank and file police, soldiers, and other uniformed personnel will be granted an increase of only 12.26 percent, with entry-level, from P14,834 to P16,597.
“We recognize that SSL 2015 will indeed grant a substantial increase in the total compensation because, on top of a relatively small salary increase for low and middle income earners, other compensation in the form of the 14th month pay and an Enhanced Performance Based Bonus will be given,” Tinio clarified. “But the resounding demand of majority of our government employees is for substantial increases in their monthly salaries.”
Tinio explained that bonuses, though tax-exempt, have no bearing on retirement and other social security benefits.
The PBB is equivalent to 1 to 2 months basic salary or an 8 to 16 percent increase depending on the employee’s position.
Tinio also said that the PBB bragged about by government is a one-time bonus and is not guaranteed to all employees but only to those who perform according to unreasonable standards set by an inter-agency group led by the Budget department, and at unequal rates.
Tinio said the PBB is already widely protested by government employees as an oppressive and divisive incentive scheme intended to appease their demand for salary increases.
“In fact, government teachers, nurses, police, soldiers, and other employees will receive the lowest salary increase under Aquino’s SSL 2015, ranging from 11 percent to 22 percent over the next four years. On the other hand, salary increases for top officials run to as high as 186.45 percent for legislators and cabinet officials and even a whopping 233.12 percent for the President of the Philippines.”