House to pass salary standardization bill by December 16

MANILA, Philippines - The leadership of the House of Representatives yesterday gave assurance that the proposed Salary Standardization Law (SSL), which seeks to increase the pay of government workers, will be passed by Dec. 16.

 Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II also said they would pass the proposed P3.002-trillion national budget for 2016 during the same period.

 “We are committed to pass the SSL and the national budget to ensure the continued delivery of basic services. Definitely, the SSL will help ease the financial plight of our people, while the national budget will guarantee continuity of the basic services’ delivery,” Belmonte said.

 Gonzales appealed to his colleagues to attend the session to pass SSL on third and final reading and ratify next year’s national budget as the bicameral conference committee is now addressing its conflicting versions.

The chamber passed the SSL 2015 on second reading last Nov. 11 after the House committee on appropriations approved it on the same day.

 Funded by a P226-billion appropriation, the SSL seeks to increase the pay of some 1.5 million government employees, including uniformed personnel, over a four-year period.

 The measure also seeks to grant them 14th month pay through a midyear bonus. 

The bill was authored by Belmonte, Gonzales, Romblon Rep. Eleandro Madrona and Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora.