Around 1,500 regular and casual employees of the Cebu provincial government can expect a salary increase two weeks from now.
Provincial Budget Officer Danilo Rodas said the increase will be retroactive to Jan. 1 this year. The employees will be getting next month the differential for January and February.
“At present, we are in the process of evaluating whether our allocation fits the first tranche schedule,” he told reporters yesterday.
He announced the increase during yesterday’s flag ceremony at the Provincial Capitol Grounds, with Governor Hilario Davide III present.
He said the provincial government has allocated around P80 million for the salary increase in the executive budget for 2016.
President Benigno Aquino III has issued an executive order granting the first of four parts of the proposed Salary Standardization Law of 2015 (SSL4).
The EO also granted a mid-year bonus equivalent to one month’s basic salary and the Productivity Enhancement Incentive of P5,000.
Rodas said the governor already has authorization from the Provincial Board to implement the salary increases.
The rate for increase ranges from 2.75 percent to 22 percent, depending on the salary grade, said Rodas.
He said an administrative aide with salary grade 1, earning around P9,000 monthly, will get an increase of P478.
Governor Davide, whose position is salary grade 30, earns P78,900 a month and will get an increase of around P17,000.
“The higher the salary grade, the higher the increase,” said Rodas. The figures were based on the salary rates within the Median Private Sector.
Job-order employees will not be enjoying the pay increase.
But Rodas said the salaries of job-order workers this year are slightly higher than that of last year.
He said the lowest-paid JO employee now earns P1,000 to P2,000 more than what he or she earned the previous year.
Governor Davide, in an earlier interview, welcomed the move made by President Aquino.
He said it was good news and was sure that many government workers will be happy.
“I’m happy that we are able to help our government workers,” he said.