Press Release
January 14, 2019

Sen. Bam's resolution: DBM should use MPBF for salary increase of gov't workers

Sen. Bam Aquino has filed a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should use the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) for the immediate implementation of the fourth tranche of salary increase for government workers.

"Sa gitna ng tuloy-tuloy na taas presyo hindi dapat mabinbin ang dagdag sweldo ng ating public school teachers at government employees. Ang obligasyon ng gobyerno dapat tuparin," said Sen. Bam amid Budget Sec. Ben Diokno's continued refusal to use the MPBF for the salary increase of state workers.

Several senators, including Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes, Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, agreed with Sen. Bam's position and signed Resolution No. 982.

In his Resolution, Sen. Bam said that with the re-enactment of the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2018, the DBM may use the MPBF provided to fund the fourth and final tranche of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) under EO 201 s. 2016, which increases the salaries of government employees.

In the 2018 budget, the MPBF amounts to P99.446 billion, P62.8 billion of which is for compensation adjustment, while P12.36 billion is for staffing modification and upgrading of salaries.

In his Resolution, Sen. Bam insisted that the DBM is authorized to release and pay the salaries immediately, without the need for further approval from Congress.

Accordingly, Sen. Bam said the DBM should process and release the fourth tranche of SSL since there is no legal impediment to implement the increase in the salary of government employees.

"There is absolutely no reason for DBM not to immediately disburse the funds needed for the salary increases, which can help government personnel in dealing with the prevailing high prices of basic commodities and services," said Sen. Bam.

"As government employees, they are entitled to timely receive the corresponding compensation for the job done as this is their fundamental right," added Sen. Bam.

During the initial implementation of the SSL in 2016, Sen. Bam said the MPBF was already tapped for a similar purpose and was used to fund deficiencies resulting from the salary adjustments.

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