(Eagle News) — Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno has allowed the release of the fourth tranche of increase of salaries of some government workers.
House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., who made the revelation in a statement, said, however, that the order applies only to workers in local government units and in government-owned and -controlled corporations based on Local Budget Circular No. 118 and Corporate Budget Circular No. 23 signed by Diokno last Tuesday.
“Now, (Diokno) realizes what he has to do. He has to implement the law granting salary increases to civil servants even under a reenacted budget. The twin circulars only mean that what we are saying is true all along. It is the DBM that has the tools to implement the salary increases even under a reenacted budget,” Andaya said.
According to Andaya, Diokno could also order the release of the pay hike of civil servants in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and in constitutional offices.
“Only P42,705,911,000 is needed by the DBM to fund the fourth tranche salary increase and adjustment for the year 2019, when it has a total amount of P99,446,295,000 in the (Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund). Even if DBM simply uses the P75,169,215,000 covering allocations for compensation adjustment and salary upgrades, it is still more than the required P42 billion requirements for the fourth tranche salary increase and adjustments,” Andaya explained.
He said another option was to get one-fourth of the funds for the fourth tranche–or P10.676 billion—to cover only the first three months.
He said the 2019 budget, which has an allocation for the fourth tranche, after all, may still be passed in the first quarter.
“The twin circulars strengthen our main argument: that Sec. Diokno has the legal basis and authority to release the salary increase for government workers under a reenacted budget. It is time for Sec. Diokno to come clean on this issue. He should stop lying to the President and to the Filipino people,” Andaya said.
