Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

7211

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO and Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,
BAYAN MUNA Party-List Rep. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE,
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. EMMI A. DE JESUS and Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,
ANAKPAWIS Party-List Rep. ARIEL “KA AYIK” B. CASILAO,
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. SARAH JANE I. ELAGO.

AN ACT
INCREASING THE MINIMUM SALARIES OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS
AND OTHER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
AND AUGMENTING THE PERSONNEL ECONOMIC RELIEF ALLOWANCE

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill aims to increase the minimum monthly salaries of public school
teachers and other government employees. It also aims to increase the Personnel
Economic Relief Allowance granted to all government employees from P2,000 per
month to P5,000.

Increasing the salaries of government employees, majority of whom are public
school teachers and workers in the education sector, will ease the errors in the Salary
Standardization Law (SSL) which were worsened by its latest adjustment through
Executive Order 201 (2016) and the doubling of salaries of military and uniformed
personnel through Joint Resolution 1 (2018).

First, the SSL under EO 201 grants measly increases that are quickly eaten away
by taxes and inflation. The salaries remain insufficient for a family living wage of
P1,119 per day or P33,570 per month for a family of six to have a decent and humane


condition of living.” The disparity between the salary and the family living wage
continues to widen, as inflation steadily rises without corresponding timely increases
in salaries. Our employees’ earnings simply cannot catch up with the cost of living.
For instance, the present salaries of public school teachers range only from P20,179
up to P24,224 per month, which are way below the living wage.

Second, the SSL gives more to those who already have more, and far less to
those who have less. With this latest adjustment, the long-standing gap between the
lowest and highest paid employees was made even wider. The salary of the lowest-
ranked government employee was increased by only 22.98% (P9,000 to P11,000), and
that of a Teacher | and Nurse | by only 11.89% (P18,549 to P20,754). On the other
hand, the salaries of those occupying executive-level positions were increased by
76.96% up to 233.12% (Salary Grade 25 to Salary Grade 33).

Civilian personnel are also left far behind now that Joint Resolution 1 increased
the base pay of military and uniformed personnel, without a corresponding
adjustment in the salaries of civilian employees. This created a wide salary gap
between civilian employees and their armed counterparts, with the former on the
losing side. For instance, candidate soldiers earn P18,587 monthly while thousands of
civilian rank-and-file employees in Salary Grades (SG) 1 to 10 are paid P10,510 to
P18,718, though they have similar, even higher qualifications, or have spent equal or
even more years in government service. A Police Officer 1 (PO1) and a Private are now
paid P29,668, almost P10,000 more than the P20,179 paid to a Teacher |, a Nurse |, a
Private Secretary, a Registrar |, and a Guidance Counselor | (SG 11) under the third
tranche of the revised Salary Standardization Law.

Hence, this bill proposes substantial salary increases for civilian personnel in
government to close the gap between public sector pay, especially among the rank-
and-file, and the cost of living. It will also address the distortion created by the
doubling of entry-level pay of military and uniformed personnel. It also proposes the
annual adjustment of salaries to ensure that public sector pay keeps pace with the cost
of living. This bill mandates the Department of Budget and Management, in
consultation with public sector unions, to recommend to Congress the appropriation
of the necessary funds.

For these reasons, immediate approval of this bill is sought.

* Study of IBON Foundation


Rep. AN’ 10 L. TINIO Rep. FI ‘CASTRO
ACT Teachers Party-List ACTeaches Party-List

Avni

Rep. Ko Aion Rep. EMMIA. DE JESUS

BAYAN MUNA Party-List GABRIELA Women’s Party

Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS Rep. ARIEL “KA AYIK” B. CASILAO

GABRIELA Women’s Party ( ANAKPAWIS Party-List

Rep. SARAH JANE ELAGO
KABATAAN Party-List



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

7211

HOUSE BILL No.

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Rep. ANTONIO L. TINIO and Rep. FRANCE L. CASTRO,
BAYAN MUNA Party-List Rep. CARLOS ISAGANI T. ZARATE,
GABRIELA Women’s Party Rep. EMMI A. DE JESUS and Rep. ARLENE D. BROSAS,
ANAKPAWIS Rep. ARIEL “KA AYIK” B. CASILAO,
and KABATAAN Party-List Rep. SARAH JANE |. ELAGO

AN ACT
INCREASING THE MINIMUM SALARIES OF PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS
AND OTHER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
AND AUGMENTING THE PERSONNEL ECONOMIC RELIEF ALLOWANCE

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. \t is hereby declared the policy of the State to
alleviate the living conditions of government employees and to guarantee employees’
rights to living wage.

The State policies of ensuring that education receives the highest budgetary
priority and that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available
talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and
fulfillment are hereby reiterated.

In the formulation of decisions with regard to education reforms, the State shall
likewise hold paramount the protection and promotion of the right of citizens to
quality education at all levels and the rights of education workers to human conditions
of work and a living wage.


SECTION 2. Raising of the Minimum Salaries of Regular Employees in Government.
The present salary of a regular entry-level position in government service shall not be
less than Sixteen Thousand Pesos (P16,000) a month. The salaries of those occupying
higher positions shall be adjusted accordingly.

SECTION 3. Raising of the Minimum Salaries of Public School Teachers in Basic
Education. The present entry-level salary of public school teachers shall not be less
than Thirty Thousand Pesos (P30,000) a month. The salaries of those occupying higher
positions shall be adjusted accordingly.

SECTION 4. Raising of the Minimum Salary Grade Level of Higher Education Teaching
Personnel. The present entry-level salary of teaching personnel in State and Local
Universities and Colleges shall not be less than Thirty One Thousand Pesos (P31,000)
a month. The salaries of all other teaching personnel occupying higher positions shall
be adjusted accordingly.

SECTION 5. Annual Adjustment of Salaries. Salaries of government personnel shall
be adjusted annually to keep pace with the cost of living. The Department of Budget
and Management (DBM), in consultation with public sector unions, shall recommend
to Congress the appropriation of the necessary funds.

SECTION 6. Augmentation of the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance. The
Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) is hereby increased from the present Two
Thousand Pesos (P2,000) a month to Five Thousand Pesos (P5,000) a month. The PERA
shall henceforth be referred to as the Augmented Personnel Economic Relief
Allowance (APERA).

SECTION 7. Rules and Regulations. The Department of Education, the Commission on
Higher Education, and the DBM shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations
of the provisions of this Act.

SECTION 8. Appropriations. The amount necessary for the initial implementation of
this Act shall be taken from current appropriations. Thereafter, funds needed in
subsequent years shall be included in the General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 9. Separability Clause. Should any provision herein be declared
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity of the other provisions of this
Act.

SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or
other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed.


SECTION 11. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,