REVILLA EXTOLS PBBM FOR RAISING SALARIES OF GOV’T EMPLOYEES

SENATOR Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. on Saturday morning (August 3) extolled President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. after the country’s government chief recently issued Executive Order (EO) No. 64 increasing the salaries and benefits of civilian government employees.

“I laud the President for keeping his word. Tinupad niya ang pangako niya noong SONA sa mga kawani ng gobyerno na itataas ang kanilang mga sahod at magbibigay ng dagdag benepisyo. Alam niya ang danas at sakripisyo ng mga masisipag na empleyado ng ating pamahalaan. Kaya trinabaho talaga niya na maipagkaloob ito ng agaran,” Revilla praised.

Pursuant to EO 64, the salary adjustment shall apply to “all civilian government personnel in the Executive, Legislative, Judicial Branches, Constitutional Commission and other Constitutional Offices; Government-Owned or Controlled Corportations (GOCCs) not covered under RA 10149 and EO 150 s. 2021; and local government employees, regardless of appointment status, whether regular, contractual or casual, appointive or elective, and on full-time or part-time basis.”

Apart from the updated salary schedule of the government workforce, they shall also receive an annual Medical Allowance amounting to not more than P7,000 beginning FY 2025 as a subsidy for the availment of health maintenance organization (HMO)-type benefit.

The said Executive Order shall be implemented in four tranches beginning January 1, 2024 for the 1st tranche, January 1, 2025 for the 2nd tranche, January 1, 2026 for the 3rd tranche, and January 1, 2027 for the fourth and final tranche. Moreover, the implementation of the first tranche shall be retroactively applied.

“Bilang Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation ay sobrang talaga nating ikinatutuwa itong bagong issuance ng Pangulo. The civil servants are the backbone of government service. Without them, we can achieve nothing. Kaya nararapat lang na mabiyayaan sila ng umento sa sahod para pasalamatan at bigyan-halaga ang serbisyo at sakripisyo nila sa bayan,” Revilla said.

“Noong nakaraang taon pa lang ay nauna na tayo na naghain ng panukala para sa Salary Standardization VI para itaas ang sahod ng ating mga kawani. tayo mismo ay nakipagpulong sa Department of Budget and Management para dito. But we are very happy now that it is no less than the President that has authorized this long-anticipated hike on the salaries of government employees. Maraming salamat po PBBM! Mabuhay ang mga kawani ng pamahalaan,” said the veteran lawmaker. -30-

Edward Sodoy