Duterte Signs EO to Fund Salary Hike for Gov’t Workers

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an Executive Order (EO) funding the last tranche of salary increase for government employees.

EO No. 76, which was signed on March 15, amends a portion of EO No. 201 signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2016.

Government employees were supposed to receive the fourth and final tranche of their salary increase starting January 2019. However, the implementation was stalled due to a budget impasse.

Duterte’s new EO states that funding for the 2019 compensation adjustment would be charged against “any available appropriations”, pending the enactment of this year’s national budget.

“There is a need to identify an appropriate funding source to cover the requirements for the implementation of the fourth tranche compensation adjustment for civilian government personnel scheduled in 2019 under EO No. 201,” said Duterte.

Call for the End of the Impasse

The government has been utilizing a reenacted budget since January after Congress failed to pass this year’s P3.757-national budget due to allegations of questionable allocations and insertions.

The budget was finally ratified in February. However, allegations of last-minute realignments resulted in the continuation of the impasse.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the president is calling on the two chambers of Congress to end the impasse on the national budget.

“The President does not want to prolong the overdue salary increase that our public servants, who have been working tirelessly and silently for the last two months, have been looking forward to,” said Panelo in a statement.