DAVAO CITY (March 21) — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order providing the needed fund to effect the 4th tranche of salary increase for government employees.
The President signed EO No. 76 on March 16, but Malacañang released said document yesterday, March 20.
The EO, amended a portion of EO No. 201 signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2106.
Under EO No. 201, government employees were supposed to receive the last and final tranche of their salary increase starting January 2019, but the approval of the budget is still in limbo as the Senate and Congress continue to debate over reported insertions.
Pending the approval of the 2019 budget, Duterte in said EO emphasized that the required fund for the salary adjustment should be taken against “any available appropriations” under the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The EO stressed, “There is a need to identify an appropriate funding source to cover the requirements for the implementation of the fourth tranche compensation adjustment for civilian government personnel scheduled in 2019 under EO No. 201.”
Duterte earlier said he does not want to prolong the agony of the employees who have been waiting for the increase, saying it is overdue and must be implemented.
The government has been operating on a reenacted budget since January after Congress failed to pass the P3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 over allegations of questionable allocations and insertions.-NewsLine.ph
