SENATOR Jose “Jinggoy” P. Ejercito Estrada on Monday said Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should raise the salaries of government works through an executive order (EO) to help them cope with spiraling food prices.
“If passing a new Salary Standardization Law is not feasible, another possible solution is the issuance of an executive order, just like what former President Benigno S.C. Aquino III did on Feb. 16, 2016,” he said in a statement.
“He issued EO No. 201 to implement an increase in the salaries of government employees when Congress failed to ratify a new Salary Standardization Law,” he added.
The senator earlier filed a bill seeking a four-tranche salary hike for civilian government employees from 2025 to 2028.
Under Senate Bill No. 2611, which Mr. Estrada filed in March, government employees under the lowest salary grade will get a monthly pay increase of as much as P15,158 in the first tranche, P16,674 in the second tranche, 18,341 in the third and P20,175 in the fourth. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
