Marcos EO can be alternative to new salary standardization law —Estrada

Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday insisted on the need for a new round of salary hike for government workers and suggested the issuance of an executive order (EO) if his proposed Salary Standardization Law VI is not approved by Congress.

The chairman of the Senate labor, employment, and human resources development committee issued the remark after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has directed the Cabinet to study the current compensation of civilian government workers to ensure that it's "generally competitive" compared to the private sectors' wages.

"I was informed that there is a study on this matter, and we will wait for its submission in time for the budget hearings. May sapat na panahon para pag-aralan ang pinapanukala ko na panibagong Salary Standardization Law," Estrada said in a statement.  

(There's enough time to study my proposal for a new Salary Standardization Law.)

"If passing a new law for SSL V is not feasible, another possible solution is the issuance of an Executive Order, just like what former President Benigno Aquino III did on February 16, 2016. He issued EO No. 201 to implement an increase in the salaries of government employees when Congress failed to ratify a new SSL," he added.

Estrada said the DBM is expected to be "adequately prepared" to present its comprehensive study on the feasibility of providing an additional round of salary increase for government workers in the upcoming years.

"Regardless of the President's directives, our economic managers have already anticipated the need to allocate funds for salary restructuring in the 2025 national budget due to the escalating cost of living," he said.

"Umaasa tayo na mabibigyan ng konsiderasyon ang panukalang inihain ko dala na rin ng mga pangangailangan ng mga manggagawa bunsod ng patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin," he added.

(We are hoping that our proposal will be given due consideration because there is a need for the workers to keep up with the rising cost of living.)

Under Estrada's SSL VI bill, the increases in the basic salary of government workers will be given in four tranches.

The first tranche will grant government workers a 10% increase, 11% increase for the second tranche or second year of implementation, 12% for the third tranche, and 13% on the fourth tranche.

This will total to a 46% hike during the covered period of the proposed law.

Apart from Estrada's bill, there are two other bills that were filed in the Senate which seek to grant civilian government workers a new round of salary increase. —KG, GMA Integrated News