Senator Sonny Angara welcomes the enactment of the Salary Standardization Law-5 (SSL-5), saying public servants can now expect a bigger take-home pay to help them cope with their daily expenses.
The chair of the Senate Committee on Finance said that under the new law, the fifth round of salary increases will be given in four tranches starting in January 2020 and ending in 2023.
SSL-5 was recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Angara said the biggest increases will apply to employees with Salary Grades (SG) 11 to 13 or the professional level, who will see a 24.1 percent increase in their compensation in 2020 and a 30.7 percent hike in 2023.
The sub-professional levels or employees with Salary Grades 1 to 10 meanwhile, will see increases of 17.5 percent in 2019 and 20.5 percent in 2023.
Meanwhile, the lowest increases will apply to the middle managers, executives and the top officials of the country, or from Salary Grades 25 to 33, at a mere 8 percent.
“It is our hardworking men and women in government that are keeping our government up and running all the time.”
The higher base pay also means that state workers will get bigger mid-year, and year-end bonuses, which are indexed from their salary grade.
“This is the fulfillment of the President’s promise to increase the salaries of our public servants. It is our hardworking men and women in government who ensure that our children are getting the proper education, infants and mothers in all communities are given the appropriate health services, roads and bridges are constructed; in other words, keeping our government up and running all the time,” the veteran legislator said.
The seasoned lawmaker pointed out that civil servants working for national government agencies can expect to immediately enjoy their pay hikes as funds for the first tranche of salary adjustments are provided under the 2020 national budget.
“For all four tranches, the total funding requirement will reach P130.45 billion.”
Under the measure, those working for national government agencies will source the salary hikes from the General Appropriations Act; local government units (LGUs) from their respective local government funds; and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) from their respective funds in the corporate operating budgets approved by the Department of Budget and Management.
“A total of P 33.16 billion was allocated in the P4.1 trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2020 to cover for the first tranche of salary increases under the SSL-5. For all four tranches, the total funding requirement will reach P130.45 billion,” the senator said.
Duterte fast-tracked the approval of the measure when he certified the bill as urgent, allowing both the Senate and the House of Representatives to swiftly pass the bill on second and third reading before Congress adjourned for the holidays.