DAVAO CITY — Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate scored the proposed increase in the president’s monthly salary from P120,000 to P400,000 saying ordinary government employees continue to receive even less.
The salary hike was proposed by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, who claimed that the salary of those in higher grades in the government bureaucracy is far from the “market” salary.
“This proposal will only increase the disparity of salaries of high ranking bureaucrats and the rank-and-file employees of the government. Already, the public has scored the widening gap of salaries, benefits, and other perks that top government officials receive,” Zarate said.
Zarate believes the budget department should prioritize “thousands of common employees, contractual and ‘job order’ personnel of the government”.
Zarate added that among those who should receive better salaries are government nurses and government doctors.
The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives has pushed for the regularization of contractual employees, casual workers, and “job order” employers in the government, citing workers’ rights, job security and just compensation during the 2016 budget deliberations that concluded on October 14.
“The existing disparity on the salary and benefits of high ranking officials and ordinary workers makes these top bureaucrats oblivious of the pains ordinary employees and workers go through to make ends meet,” Zarate said.
“It is an abomination that we speak of increasing the president’s salary while our workers languish in a minimum wage that is way below the actual cost of living,” he said.(davaotoday.com)
