P67,500. That is the basic monthly salary of the Philippine National Police chief, a 4-star Director General. Compare it to that in other sectors:
• Supervisor (medium-sized listed stock company), P60,000 to P80,000;
• Assistant Vice President (medium-sized listed company), P180,000 to P400,000;
• Minimum Wage - U.S. ($7.50/hr. x 175 hrs./mo. x P46), P60,375;
• U.S. Army - Private ($1,547/mo. x P46), P71,162;
• U.S. Army – 4-Star General ($15,125/mo. x P46), P695,750.
The niggardly pay of our policemen not only is a national shame. It also costs the country untold actual damages. Policemen are not saints or priests. With badges and firearms they know how to earn more. It is naive for us to think and hope that they will not.
The excuse that a raise for them would distort the pay scales of other sections is fallacious. There already is a distortion. The PNP chief’s P67,500 a month is the same as deskmen’s in the Central Bank, DBP, Land Bank, SSS, GSIS, etc. Yet we expect policemen to stick their necks out for us, to die or be maimed if duty so requires.
If a pay increase cannot be done for the whole government, then the sensible way is to do it by part. It may take time, but the goal should be to make all our public servants earn decent wages. And the change should always start at the bottom. Delay means inaction.
Question: who should be reformed first, the police or our thinking?
Following is the pay scale, proposed for doubling, of the rest of the National Police:
• Police Officer-1, P14,834;
• PO-2, P16,934;
• PO-3, P18,665;
• Senior PO-1, P21,711;
• SPO-2, P23,513;
• SPO-3, P25,394;
• SPO-4, P27,425;
• Cadet, P27,425;
• Inspector, P32,341;
• Sr. Insp., P35,312;
• Chief Insp., P37,313;
• Superintendent, P40,298;
• Sr. Supt., P43,521;
• Chief Supt. (1-star), P47,002;
• Director (2-star), P50,763;
• Deputy Director General (3-star), P59,210.
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