Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto yesterday called for a 20
percent increase in the basic salary of 1.648 million government
officials and employees starting January 1, 2015.
Recto said the proposed across-the-board increase in the pay of
1,248,000 government workers and about 400,000 uniformed personnel in
the country will improve their purchasing power which has been eroded by
inflation.
He said that one of the governing principles of the 1989 modified
Compensation and Position Classification System is its periodic review
every three years, “taking into account the changes in skills and
competency requirement in the bureaucracy and the relative demand for
certain expertise.”
“It has been two years since the last tranche of the salary increase
mandated in Joint Resolution No. 4, S, 2008. Hence, it is imperative
upon Congress to revise further the present compensation schedule to
update the same, and to further encourage excellent performance and
productivity,’’ he said.
‘’Statistics show that the Consumer Price Index (PCI) using 2006 as
the base year is 115.9 for the period of June, 2009, while that for
June, 2014, is 139.6. Government employees can barely afford to support
their families as the inflation rate between June, 2009, and June, 2014,
grew at a significant 20.44 percent,’’ he said
Recto said a substantial amount will be needed for the proposal but
he said the government was able to generate savings of P50 to P60
billion annually from 2010 to 2013.
“The savings derived from the national budget may be used to increase
salaries of government personnel in order to cushion the spiraling cost
of goods instead of using it to finance various programs and projects
that may have no clear and immediate impact on the economy,’’ he said.
