Government employees may yet be granted a salary increase next year, with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) setting aside almost P17 billion for this possibility.

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman revealed this allocation Thursday, Aug. 10 during the House Committee on Appropriations' briefing on the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024.

"Initially, for 2024, under the MPBF (Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund), we have provided P16.95 billion to support the compensation adjustment that may be pursued starting next year," Pangandaman told ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro during her interpellation.

Castro and the militant Makabayan solons had feared that the 2024 NEP--the precursor to the national budget--was devoid of any allocation for a salary hike for government workers.

“Wala bang maaasahan o may maaasahan ba ang mga government employees na salary increase by 2024? (Can government employees expect a salary increase by 2024?)” Castro asked the budget chief.

Pangandaman answered by saying that the process to study the possibility of such an increase has begun.

"Under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA) po, we appropriated P48 million to be given to GCG for the procurement of consultancy service for the review, study of our compensation and position classification system for the government sector," she said.

"As of now, they are undergoing procurement and they said they would be able to provide the results of the study by October, ma'am," Pangandaman told Castro.

"And we think, assuming there's a recommendation of an increase of salary, I think kaya pa naman po (I think it's still possible) before we pass the budget," Pangandaman said rather tantalizingly.

When Castro asked about why P48 million was allocated for the prospective study, the economic manager said the amount was "based on a market survey".

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by ELLSON QUISMORIO

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