A BILL that desires to give government employees their fifth round of salary increases — a key proposal of the Duterte administration — has been filed at the Senate.

Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva proposed an average salary increase of 10% yearly from 2020 to 2022 under Senate Bill 1136 or the Salary Standardization Law V, according to a copy of the measure.

The increase will cover the nations’ 1.7 million career and non-career civil service employees.

“This bill seeks to improve the spending power of ordinary government employees whose spending power has been eroded by inflation,” Mr. Villanueva said in the bill’s explanatory note.

The proposed measure was among the bills mentioned by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his fourth State of the Nation Address in July. He mentioned the inclusion of teachers and nurses.

The bill will cover all civilian government personnel, including those under the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. Workers in government-owned and controlled corporations, government financial institutions and local government units will also benefit from the proposed law.

Speaker Alan Peter S. Cayetano earlier said congressmen would prioritize measures that Mr. Duterte mentioned in his yearly address to lawmakers.

Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda earlier said the measure would cost the government about P110 billion for three years.

The last tranche of the salary increase that covered both civilian and military personnel in the government was implemented in March.

There are two other Senate bills on the salary increase and at least five counterpart bills at the House of Representatives pending at the committee level. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

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