DBM earmarks P39B for salary hike of cops, soldiers  

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Monday said the government has earmarked P39.59 billion of the proposed 2017 national budget for the salary increase of soldiers, policemen and other uniformed personnel next year.

“[It’s for], they call it MUP, military and uniformed personnel,” Diokno said during the briefing of the Development Budget Coordinating Committee on the national budget at the House committee on appropriations.

When asked on the breakdown of the P39.59-billion allotment, Diokno said: “We have that but unfortunately we have to talk to the President about this. I think it’s proper na sa kanya manggaling yung announcement.”

“Let’s just wait and see, it’s subject to clearance by the President,” Diokno added.

Just last week, President Rodrigo Duterte promised anew to double the salary of soldiers and policemen by December despite earlier pronouncements by Secretary Diokno that it was not possible.

Diokno said they will submit a draft resolution for Congress to issue to effect a salary hike.

“Our preference is to have a joint resolution on this because under the Constitution, we need congressional action for the salary adjustment,” he said.

Diokno said the government was not comfortable with the executive order (EO) issued by former President Benigno Aquino III, which adjusts the salaries of government personnel and grants the compensation of MUP.

The EO, signed in February, implements the salary increases for government officials and employees including those in the uniformed services. It was issued after Congress failed to enact the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) 4.

Meanwhile, Diokno said the second tranche of salary increases for other government personnel was already included in the respective department budgets.

He also said that public school teachers would not receive any additional salary hike.

“If the attempt is to increase it further, baka todo ambisyon na ‘yun,” he told ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III further explained that the proposed cut on income tax rates would virtually increase the salaries of teachers.

“This is the way we are looking into the welfare of teachers,” he said.

The Duterte government is looking into reducing personal income tax rates from 32 percent to 25 percent. —KBK, GMA News