The House of Representives on Wednesday passed on 2nd reading House Joint Resolution No. 18, which will modify the existing Base Pay of around 381,381 military and uniformed personnel nationwide, House Appropriations Committee Chair Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles announced today.
The measure specifically raises the monthly Base Pay of a Police Officer (PO) I in the Philippine National Police (PNP) or a Private in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and equivalent ranks in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Public Safety College, Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority from P14,834 to P29,668, representing a 100% increase in the Base Pay effective January 1, 2018.
For the other ranks, the increase in Base Pay will be calibrated resulting in an average increase of 58.70% for all ranks.
“This is in recognition of the critical role of the military and police in maintaining national security and peace and order, as they exercise their duty to ensure the safety of our citizens being exposed to various high peril environments and life-threatening risks, in the discharge of their functions,” Nograles explained.
As to the indexation of the pension of retired military and uniformed personnel with the Base Pay of those in the active service, Nograles explained that while the Joint Resolution suspends the indexation with respect to the Base Pay increase, the suspension of indexation will be automatically lifted on January 1, 2019.
“The notable amendment we did on the floor is that the suspension of the pension indexation will now only be up to January 1, 2019 or until a new pension reform law is passed, whichever comes earlier,” Nograles said.
“This temporary suspension, for a period of about one year, of the application of pension indexation of retired military and uniformed personnel is only in view of its huge financial implication,” Nograles explained.
The national government will tap P64.24 billion from its coffers to fund the salary hike, which President Duterte first promised in August 2018.
At the same time, Nograles said Congress is setting aside additional funds from the proposed P3.767-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2018 for the purchase of body-worn cameras for police officers in conducting anti-crime operations including anti-drug raids and sting operations. (PNA)
