Gov’t pay hike delayed due to stalled budget
Government workers looking forward to a fatter paycheck on the first payday this new year will be disappointed as the scheduled salary increase has been delayed due to Congress’ failure to approve the proposed P3.8-trillion national budget for 2019.
READ: PBB 2017 UPDATE
Executive Order No. 201, which President Benigno Aquino III issued in 2016, granted government employees four tranches of salary increases starting that year until 2019.
The fourth increase was supposed to be included in this month’s salaries for civilian and uniformed personnel.
But Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday said “the fourth tranche has to wait for the approval of the 2019 budget.”
Retroactive
Diokno nonetheless said the salary increase would be retroactively applied as soon as the 2019 funds were released.
Since Congress failed to pass the 2019 budget proposal before 2018 ended, the government will operate on a reenacted budget at the start of this year.
National government personnel services (salaries, wages, pension and retirement) as well as maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE)