THE House of Representatives is eyeing to approve the proposed Salary Standardization Law (SSL) this week.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. also assured government workers the House Bill 6268 (SSL of 2015) will be passed into law before the year ends.
“We will immediately approve this very important bill on third and final reading [at the lower chamber and transmit it to the Senate for its own deliberations],” Belmonte said.
Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II of Mandaluyong City said the bill will be approved on the third reading once the Lower House receives the urgent certification from the Palace and muster enough quorum.
When we resume, and there is quorum and certification, we can approve it on third reading, Gonzales said.
Lakas Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte urged the Congress to immediately pass the bill for the benefit of 1.53 million state workers.
“We are committed to pass this very important legislation for the benefit of our state workers. They really need economic relief to decently support their basic needs,” added Romualdez, who also leads the House Independent Bloc.
The bill seeks to modify the compensation and position-classification system of civilian government personnel and the base pay schedule of military and uniformed personnel in the government to be implemented in four tranches, starting January 1, 2016.
The bill, likewise, seeks to “strengthen the link between pay and performance through an enhanced performance-based bonus system, temper the cost of benefit while maximizing the benefits of employees and allow higher take-home pay, especially for government personnel belonging to the lower salary grades [SG].”
The measure is expected to result to a weighted average increase of 45 percent in the compensation of all SGs and raise compensation of government personnel to at least 70 percent of the private-sector rate.
The bill was principally authored by Belmonte, Gonzales and House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Isidro T. Ungab of Davao City, Committee on Accounts Chairman and Rep. Eleandro Jesus F. Madrona of Romblon.
Earlier, Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad informed lawmakers that the SSL 4 will be “effected through a combination of a salary increase, a 14th month pay and an enhanced performance-based bonus to be implemented over a four-year period beginning January 1, 2016.”
Abad explained the SSL 4 is based on Joint Resolution 4 enacted by Congress in 2009, mandating the review of the compensation and position- classification system after three years from the last year of the adjustment to determine the competitiveness of government pay in relation to the private sector and the compensation strategy to bring government pay closer to market rate.
Abad said the last tranche of the previous SSL 3 was completed in July 2012. He said, despite the substantial duties and responsibilities of public servants, their salaries stand only at 55 percent, or around half, of current market rates.
The first round of the salary standardization will be implemented next year, and will require a total funding of P57.9 billion.
Of this amount, P50.4 billion has already been earmarked in the 2016 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), which the House approved on third and final reading in October before adjournment.
The balance of P7.5 billion will come from adjustments they will make in the bicameral conference committee or from the Pension and Gratuity Fund (PGF).
Meanwhile, Ungab said the funding requirements for the succeeding compensation adjustments shall have the following budgetary requirements: second tranche, P54.3 billion; third tranche, P65.9 billion; and fourth tranche, P47.5 billion.
The bill provides the compensation and position-classification System shall apply to all civilian government personnel in the executive, legislative and judicial branches, constitutional commissions and other Constitutional Offices, government-owned or -controlled corporations not covered by Republic Act 10149, and local government units. It shall cover government personnel whether regular, contractual or casual, appointive or elective; and on full-time or part-time basis.
Under the new SSL, those under SG 1, who are now receiving P9,000 per month, will get P9,478 per month under Step 1 of the first tranche; P9,981 under the second tranche; P10,510 under the third tranche; and P11,068 under the final tranche.
6 comments
Our workers are one of the pillars of our economy, it’s time for the government to give back to them. After all, the purchasing and saving power will inevitably generate even higher revenues
Hindi na maiisipang mag Abroad kung aaprove pa ito ng Goverment . Sa totoo lang nag kukulang tayo sa mga guro at mga nurses
Good to know that they committed to pass this very important legislation to extend Compassion to our state workers. They really need economic relief to decently support their basic needs
This bill needs to be passed as the needs of the people should be at the heart of public service.
reduce the performance based bonus so that we can generate funds to support basic salary instead to extend more care and compassion to ordinary workers
Barya lang.