Lawmaker seeks patrol allowance for cops

MANILA, Philippines – Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. proposed yesterday granting patrol allowance to policemen in lieu of the 100-percent salary increase President Duterte has promised.

Duterte said the pay hike could not be given in one go next year because of the government’s tight financial situation.

There are no funds in the proposed P3.35-trillion 2017 national budget intended to fulfill the President’s commitment to double police and military salaries, according to Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno.

Policemen, along with other state workers including soldiers, received a salary increase this year under Executive Order 201 issued in February by then president Benigno Aquino lll.

Granting patrol and mission allowance to policemen is one way of increasing the pay of members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Andaya said.

“It is performance-linked compensation,” he said. “If you go on street patrol, if you pound the streets, if you go on a mission in pursuit of criminals, then you get an additional allowance.”

Andaya said the patrol allowance would be the equivalent of combat pay in the military.

The PNP has already special allowances in the compensation schedule like flying pay for helicopter pilots and sea duty pay for maritime police, and civil disturbance control allowance with a budget of P111.5 million this year, he added.

Andaya said the additional pay for actual patrol duty would be tax-free.

Malacañang and the PNP could allocate the amount of the patrol allowance, he added.

Andaya said the administration could resort to “creative, transitory measures” to redeem Duterte’s promise of doubling the salaries of policemen and soldiers.

The promise has raised eyebrows among other government personnel, especially teachers, who comprise the single biggest sector in the bureaucracy.

In the past, pay upgrading was similarly across-the-board and not confined to a single sector.