House Appropriations Committee Chair and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles on Tuesday made an assurance Congress would still exercise its power of the purse in the implementation of President Duterte’s directive that would double the salaries of police and military personnel in 2018.
Nograles, during the final day of the plenary debates on the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018, clarified that the president’s order to increase the salaries of the members of the uniformed service would still pass through Congress.
“Gusto ko rin pong linawin…na yung sinasabi ng DBM (Department of Budget and Management) na draft nila na pending ngayon sa desk ni President [Rodrigo] Duterte is for his approval lamang before it goes to Congress,” Nograles said.
“So ultimately tayo rin po ang mag-aapprove nito through a Joint Resolution ng House of Representatives, pati na ang Senado,” he stressed.
Nograles at that time was being interpellated by militant lawmaker ACT-Teachers Party-List Rep. Antonio Tinio, who questioned the legal basis of doubling the pay of police and military personnel on the strength of a mere presidential directive. He said that such major change in government pay schedule could only be achieved through legislation.
“So yung draft na yun…kapag naapprove na ni President Duterte yung draft, ito po ay ibibigay niya sa atin for our approval in a Joint Resolution,” said the Davao solon. A Joint Resolution between the two Houses of Congress (HOR and Senate) has the same effect as a law, or an enacted bill.
In response, Tinio told Nograles: “I think that’s a very important clarification. Sa inyong paliwanag ay hindi pala maba-bypass ang Kongreso. Ang bentahe nito ay at least magkakaroon ng public debate and discussion yung proposed joint resolution para sa salary increase.”
“In other words hindi lang ito aayusin at pagkakasunduan ng Executive branch,” Tinio said.
Earlier in the interpellation, the Appropriations panel head bared that funds for the 100 percent increase in cops and soldiers’ pay would be sourced from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund or MPBF.
Specifically, P24.9 billion from the P84.4 billion MPBF for 2018 will be tapped for this purpose.
Nograles said the amount is separate from the P61.4 billion that has been allocated for the third tranche of pay hikes for government workers under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL).
“Yung dagdag para sa pulis, military, men in uniform, apart sa third tranche ng SSL, meron pa po tayong ibang pagkukuhanan para po dyan. Hindi po yan gagalawin sa implementation ng SSL,” Nograles said, referring to the MPBF.
The doubling of police and military personnel’s salaries is a long-time promise of Duterte’s.
“Malinaw na nag-pronounce si Pangulong Duterte na tataasan po niya, dodoblehin niya yung sweldo nung pulis at military natin. Pwedeng gawin niyan sa pamamagitan ng joint resolution na ayun nga ay meron nang draft sa mesa ni President Duterte para sa kanyang approval,” he said.
The proposed 2018 national budget was approved by the HOR on 2nd reading Tuesday night.
