Update on the Salary Increase / Compensation Adjustment for Government Employees
Meron nga bang salary increase ang government employees this 2024?
Maaring isa ka din sa mga naghihintay ng update sa kung meron nga bang salary increase ngayong taon.
Matatandaan na ayun sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM), naglaan ito ng mahigit kumulang ₱17 Billion budget sa National Expenditure Program (NEP) para sa salary increase ng government employees simula taong 2024.
“We have allotted P16.95 Billion in the FY (Fiscal Year) 2024 MPBF to support the compensation adjustment that may be pursued starting next year,”
DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in a statement.
Ayun sa statement sa itaas, ang naturang compensation adjustment ay nakalagay (alloted) sa MPBF o Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund (MPBF) ng annual budget para sa taong 2024. Ang naturang budget ay makikita sa link na ito.
Makikita sa annual budget para MPBF ang new appropriations na “Funding Requirements for Staffing Modification and Upgrading of Salaries and Other Compensation Adjustment” na may total budget na ₱93,891,586,000.00 sa loob ng annual budget para sa Personnel Services.
Ang Personnel Services ay isa sa apat (4) na allotment classes kung saan inilalaan ang budget para sa salaries, incentives at allowances ng mga government employees. Kasama dito ang salary increase kung merong inilaang budget para dito.
Kung susuriin pa ng mas malalim, may line item o item of appropriation sa MPBF na “Lump-sum for Compensation Adjustment” na may total budget na ₱89,909,497,000.00.
Gayunpaman, hindi malinaw kung dito nakapaloob ang ₱16.95 Billion na budget para sa compensation adjustment o salary increase simula 2024 na tinutukoy ng DBM. Ngunit ang mga line items lamang na ito ang tumutukoy sa nasabing ‘compensation adjustment’.
What is MPBF used for?
According to the Fund Release Guidelines for FY 2024, MPBF shall be used to fund PS deficiencies of employees who are still in the government service, e.g., salaries, bonuses, etc., (except those pertaining to filling-up of existing and newly-created positions already provided under the agencies' budgets), and engagement of private healthcare providers to cover medical expenses which are excluded from the National Health Insurance Program of Philhealth under R.A. No. 112232, for the benefit of government employees in the national government. Implementation of this program shall be subject to the guidelines to be issued by the DBM, in coordination with the agencies concerned.
It shall also be used for the reclassification of faculty positions in SUCs and Technical Education Institutions (TEIs), subject to NBC No. 461, as amended, CHED-DBM J. C. No. 3, as well as other issuances thereon in the case of SUCs, and such other guidelines to be issued by TESDA and DBM in case of TEls: Provided, That any salary adjustment as a result of the reclassification shall only take effect upon the approval by the DBM.
PS deficiencies shall be initially charged against the available allotment of the agency; release from the MPBF for the purpose shall be made after it has been determined that the PS deficiency cannot be accommodated within the agency's available allotment.
In addition, the MPBF includes the Legal Defense Fund which shall cover the actual expenses for the defense of government officials and employees in administrative, civil or criminal cases filed against them in courts for acts committed in the performance of their official functions.
Source: National Budget Circular No. 592 — Fund Release Guidelines for Fiscal Year 2024
Sa kabilang banda, dapat maunawaan na ang nakapaloob sa NEP o ang Budget ng Gobyerno o ng Pangulo ay budget proposals pa lamang at kailangan itong dumaan sa legislations sa Kongreso at approval ng Pangulo bago ito maging batas.
Kailangan ng isang batas o mga batas para maipatupad ang salary increase.
Kaya naman bagamat may budget proposal para sa compensation adjustment, dapat may batas na magpapatupad para dito: 1) ang General Appropriations Act (GAA) o ang batas para sa mismong pondo para dito; at 2) isang batas para sa mismong pagpapatupad nito (e.g. Salary Standardization Law).
Matatandaan na ang huling salary increase ay ipinatupad noong 2023. Ito ang last at 4th tranche ng Salary Standardization Law of 2019 o SSL V na nagtapos noong December 31, 2023.
Meron Bang Pondo para sa Salary Increase o Compensation Adjustment para sa taong 2024?
Para sagutin ito, suriin natin ang 2024 GAA kung ang naturang line item para sa “compensation adjustment” ay makikita sa budget para sa MPBF.
Ayun sa Special Provision ng MPBF para sa taong 2024: “The amount of Twenty Nine Billion Three Hundred Seventy Seven Million One Hundred Twelve Thousand Pesos (P29,377,112,000) appropriated herein for the payment of personnel benefits shall be used for the following, among others:
(i) deficiencies in authorized salaries, bonuses, allowances, associated premiums and other similar personnel benefits of National Government personnel, including Personnel Services requirements for filling of, and creation of positions, and compensation adjustments, as may be authorized by law, the President of the Philippines, or the DBM; (emphasis supplied)
Makikita sa nasabing Special Provision para sa 2024 MPBF na, kasama ng ibang layunin, ay nakalaan ito para ‘compensation adjustment’ ng government employees, as may be authorized by law, the President of the Philippines, or the DBM.
Ito ay malinaw sapagkat katulad ng nasabi sa itaas, ang SSL V ay nagtapos noong nakaraang taon.
Ibig sabihin, walang salary adjustment simula 2024 hanggang walang bagong batas na nagpapahintulot nito.
Bagamat meron ng batas para sa pondo nito, kailangan ng bagong batas o SSL para ipatupad ang bagong salary increase o compensation adjustment.
Ano ang nangyari sa ginawang pag aaral para sa compensation adjustment o salary increase ng government employees.
Matatandaan na nasabi sa isang statement ni Marikina Representative and House Committee on Appropriations Senior Vice Chair Quimbo Setyembre ng nakaraang taon na nagkaroon ng kaunting aberya sa procurement ng study o pag aaral para sa compensation adjustment o salary increase ng government employees.
“Unfortunately nagkaroon ng failure sa bidding and therefore magkakaroon ng negotiated procurement. In which case, magkakaroon po ng kaunting delay sa ating pag-aaral. Kapag matuloy po ang negotiated procurement by October, by December po natin makukuha ang results ng pag-aaral,”
Marikina Rep. Quimbo said in a statement
Kaugnay nito, Disyembre ng nakaraang taon ay nag-post muli ang Office of the President of the Philippines, Governance Commission for Government Owned or Controlled Corporation (GCG) ng Invitation for Negotiation (Negotiated Procurement: Two Failed Biddings) para sa CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE REVIEW OF COMPENSATION AND POSITION CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (CPCS) FOR THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR.
Ayun sa nasabing Invitation for Negotiation, ang mga sumusunod ay dapat maibigay ng nanalong bidder (Consultant) sa GCG en Banc ang mga sumusunod ayun sa timeliness na nakasaad dito:
1. Diagnostic/ Initial Report on Competitive Salary Analysis, Base Salary Structure Development, and Performance Incentive System Design for National Government (NG) Sector — Within one (1) month from receipt of the Notice to Proceed (NTP)
2. Competitive Salary Analysis, Base Salary Structure Development, Recommendation on Allowances, Benefits and Incentives, and Performance Incentive System Design for NG and GOCCs — Within two (2) months from receipt of the NTP
3. Review of the Position Classification System and Index of Occupational Services for the GOCC Sector (IOS-G) and Sectoral Competitive Analysis — Within three (3) months from receipt of the NTP
4. Base Pay Structure Research and Design for the GOCC Sectors — Within four (4) months from receipt of the NTP
5. Change Management Planning — Within five (5) months from receipt of the NTP
6. Final Report — Within six (6) months from receipt of the NTP
The Final Report contains the following:
– Final report on CPCS (for NG and GOCCs) as accepted by DBM and GCG
– Report and copy of working files of the new compensation framework and cost estimates
– Presentation materials and refinement of the CPCS, and actual conduct of presentation of the final report.
Ang nasabing pag aaral ay may budget na ₱48 Million sa 2023 na GAA at tinatayang matatapos ngayong taong ito.
Muli, may maasahan bang salary adjustment ang mga government employees simula 2024?
Sa aming opinyon, pwedeng magkaroon ng salary increase ang mga government employees simula ngayong taon kung magkakaroon ng mga sumusunod:
– matatapos ang nasabing pag-aaral sa loob ng taong ito at ito ay tinanggap ng Gobyerno;
– magkakaroon ng batas (legal basis) para sa pagpapatupad ng bagong salary increase o compensation adjustment; at
– nakasaad sa nasabing batas (legal basis) na ang salary increase o compensation adjustment ay ipapatupad ngayong taon.
Government Accountants, Budget Officers, Treasurers and Auditors’ Forum