P1,000 salary hike for govt employees

Government employees will soon receive an average of P1,000 increase in their monthly salaries, a senator assured on Monday.

Sen. Joker Arroyo told reporters the Senate is set to approve for inclusion in the national budget P10.3 billion, which will be utilized for the passage of legislation increasing the pay of government employees nationwide.

Effective July, a 10-percent salary increase would apply to national government employees, policemen and military, local government employees, and employees of government owned and controlled corporations, he said.

“The only problem that remains is the procedure of implementing this increase,” said Senator Arroyo.

He denied that the salary increase had anything to do with improving the administration’s image for the upcoming elections.

President Arroyo has expressed a preference for a 10-percent increase in the salaries of around 1.4 million government employees.

Private sector workers, however, will have to wait for their turn.

Senator Arroyo said the P125 across-the-board wage increase for private workers was “too controversial” because of the business community’s resistance and was unlikely to be passed by the Senate.
By Ilang-Ilang Quijano, Manila Times