DepEd union hails proposed salary hike

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education National Employees Union (DepEd-NEU) lauded the move of the Department of Budget and Management to include funds in the 2016 budget for the increase in the salary of government workers.

The employees’ union issued the statement in response to the statement of Budget Secretary Florencio Abad that a total of P50.6 billion was included in the proposed 2016 national budget for the possible increase in salaries of government employees.

An earlier report said this would translate to an average of P3,000 per month increase in the salary of around 1.3 million government employees.

Abad said during the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s presentation of the 2016 National Expenditure Program in the Senate earlier this month that the money was set aside in the budget for the implementation of the Salary Standardization Law 4.

He said they have yet to finalize the proposal for the pay hike.

Earlier, the DepEd-NEU called on the administration to push through with the proposed salary hike.

They suggested that the government use part of its counter-insurgency budget as the negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is drawing to a close.

The union said DepEd undersecretary for legal affairs Alberto Muyot already expressed support for the salary hike, although he stressed that the government has yet to identify the source of funds for the possible increase.

Teacher’s group Alliance of Concerned Teachers has consistently called on the DBM to approve the proposed salary hike for teachers.

The group noted that the last increase happened in 2009, before the term of President Aquino.

Several bills are also pending in Congress seeking an increase in the wages of teachers and non-teaching personnel nationwide.