Government employees will get a bigger take home pay this year with President Duterte’s signing into into law of the Salary Standardization Law 5, Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said yesterday.
Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance who defended the proposed SSL 5, said the biggest increases would apply to employees with Salary Grades 11 to 13 or the professional level.
The senator said State employees in these brackets will see a 24.1 percent increase in their compensation in 2020 and 30.7 percent in 2023.
On the other hand, sub-professional levels or employees with Salary Grades 1 to 10 will see increases in their salary from 17.5 percent to 20.5 percent in 2023.
The SSL 5 will be implemented in four tranches, starting this year and culminating in 2023.
A total of P33.16 billion was allocated in the P4.1-trillion General Appropriations Act of 2020 to cover the first tranche of salary increases under the SSL 5.
“For all four tranches, the total funding requirement will reach P130.45 billion,” Angara said.
“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 lawmaker added.
Under the new law, the lowest salary grade level employee, who is receiving P11,068 a month, will enjoy an increase in his compensation to P11,551 in 2020, to P12,034 in 2021, to P12,517 in 2022, and to P13,000 in 2023.
Entry-level teachers and other employees receiving Salary Grade 11 will receive an increase from P20,754 a month to P22,316 in 2020, P23,877 in 2021, P25,439 in 2022, and P27,000 in 2023.
Angara, however, said he will continue to pursue further increases in the compensation of teachers even if they are already enjoying pay hikes under SSL 5.
“(This is) in recognition of the very important role they play in development of our children and nation,” he said. (Hannah Torregoza)
