Andaya: Possible delay in 2019 budget has no effect in gov’t workers’ pay hike

House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. yesterday said the “fate” of 2019 national budget has no impact on pay hike set for government employees next year.

“It [salary increase] will go on as programmed, even in the event of a slight delay in the signing into law of the 2019 budget. The increase will be included in the first paycheck of the year which will be released on January 15,” Andaya said in a statement.

He noted that the increase would be included in the first paycheck released next year which is on Jan. 15.

Andaya said a total of P121.7 billion was allocated for the salary adjustments in 2019, of which, P51.7 billion covered the fourth and final tranche of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL), IV which is for civilian employees.

The remaining P70 billion was for the second installment of the law raising the base pay of soldiers, policemen, jail and fire officers, and coast guards.

Andaya explained that the authorization of the pay hike for civilian government employees and military personnel are governed by the SSL which is different from the passage of the General Appropriations Act for 2019.

The SSL IV is Executive Order 201 which was signed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in 2016.

Meanwhile, Joint Resolution No. 1 of Congress, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte this year is the law on salary adjustments for uniformed personnel in the Department of National Defense, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Transportation and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The resolution shows that at P1.185 trillion, the personnel services budget, which covers base pay, allowances, premium contributions of government workers, and pension for military and police retirees, accounts for 32 percent of the P3.757 trillion 2019 national budget.

Andaya also branded as fake news all the hearsays that the 2019 budget affects the government workers’ pay increase.