MANILA – Malacañang on Monday blamed Congress for the delay in the implementation of the fourth tranche of the salary hike for government employees scheduled this year.
“The one holding [the salary hike] hostage would be Congress, not the Executive department,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said at a news conference.
Panelo gave the reaction after House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. accused Budget secretary Benjamin Diokno last week of holding hostage the release of the pay increase for civil servants.
Malacañang echoed Diokno’s position that salary adjustments for civilian and military personnel programmed for 2019 will have to wait pending approval of this year’s national budget by Congress and its subsequent enactment by the President.
Diokno said the pay hike will be sourced from this year’s appropriations.
Andaya on Monday asked the Supreme Court to compel the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release funds for the salary increases, a move welcomed by Diokno so that “once and for all we can resolve this issue.”
“Since there is already a mandamus petition before the court, it becomes sub judice, we will let the court decide on it. It will necessarily ask the respondent (Secretary) Ben Diokno to respond and then when the issues meet, they will resolve,” Panelo said.
The DBM estimated the fourth tranche of wage hikes for government workers under the Salary Standardization Law to total some P40 to P50 billion, covering some 1.3 million workers. (With GMA News/PN)
