MANILA, Philippines — ACT Academics party-list Rep. France Castro has appealed to the bicameral convention committee assigned to craft the ultimate funds invoice, to place again a P70 billion fund meant for presidency employees’ wage will increase.

In an announcement on Thursday, Castro requested why this was not a part of the proposed funds when wage hikes have been a marketing campaign promise of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Presently, the bicameral convention committee has not completed resolving variations between the Home of Consultant model and the Senate model of the P5.768 trillion Basic Appropriations Invoice (GAB).  Home Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez mentioned the bicam would end the funds invoice on Monday.

“Wage enhance for presidency workers, particularly for academics, have been a part of the marketing campaign promise of Pres. Marcos Jr. to them and is essential for them to deal with excessive costs of products and companies now. Why was it slashed?” Castro requested.

“We are able to see this large deduction within the Miscellaneous Personnel Advantages Fund – from P135.73 billion it was slashed to P65.73 billion.  Whereas beneath the New Appropriations, by Objective a part of the NEP/GAB, the Funding Necessities for Staffing Modification and Upgrading of Salaries and Different Compensation Adjustment decreased from P93.89 billion to P23.89 billion,” she added.

Moreover, Castro claimed that the Lump Sum for Compensation Adjustment for Civilian Personnel was lowered from P89.909 billion to P19.909 billion, supposedly translating to a lower within the anticipated wage enhance from round P3,200 monthly if equally divided per authorities worker to only P720 monthly within the newest Basic Appropriations Invoice (GAB).

“Now how vital is that this funds lower for presidency workers? Primarily based on the Civil Service Fee (CSC), as of June 30, 2023, there are 2.8 million authorities workers.  Profession workers at 1,751,975 and Non-Profession at 221,325 with a complete of 1,973,300, the rest are JOs (job orders) and COS (contract of service employees),” Castro mentioned.

“The P89.909 billion funds for Lump Sum for Compensation Adjustment for Civilian Personnel pay is equal to P3,254.50 month-to-month wage enhance per authorities worker. However as a result of it was drastically diminished by P70 billion by the HOR, solely P720.67 may be the anticipated wage enhance for presidency workers,” she famous.

Castro relayed that she was capable of get this computation by dividing the Lump Sum for Compensation Adjustment for Civilian Personnel on the Nationwide Expenditures Program (NEP) or the proposed funds of the chief, which is P89.90 billion, by 14 or the variety of months in a yr {that a} authorities employee will get his or her wage — together with thirteenth month and 14th month pay.

The quotient, P6.42 billion, is then divided by 1.973 million or the variety of authorities employees, which yields a solution of P3,254.50 enhance monthly.

Castro then used the identical formulation, however with the supposed bicam-deducted compensation adjustment of P19.90 billion, which finally led to only a P720.67 month-to-month wage hike for presidency workers.

“We hope that the bicameral convention committee can restore this slashed funds to provide what is because of authorities workers,” she mentioned.

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