Gov't can't keep Duterte's promise of August pay hike for soldiers —DBM

From GMA News (Aug 11): Gov't can't keep Duterte's promise of August pay hike for soldiers —DBM

The government cannot fulfill President Rodrigo Duterte's promise to raise the salaries of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines this month.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Thursday that there's nothing in the 2016 national budget that can be realigned to increase the salaries.

In a Senate hearing on the Salary Standardization Law, Diokno said the Duterte administration is committed to double the take home pay of the country's uniformed personnel but wouldn't be able to do so within the year.

"We cannot promise (an increase) this August because, as you know, there is nothing in the budget for that," Diokno said on questioning by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Duterte had earlier promised to increase soldiers' salaries this month.

Last week, the president added that the salaries would double by December.

“By December, you’d have doubled your salaries. This August, umpisa na, ngayong August. Tignan ninyo iyang pay checks ninyo. Nandiyan na iyan,” Duterte told soldiers in Cebu City.

Promise not feasible

During the committee hearing, Trillanes admitted being "surprised" by Duterte's pronouncement that servicemen can enjoy a pay hike by August, with their salaries being doubled further by December.

"As you know, the soldiers are holding on to the word of their Commander-in-Chief... Pipila yung mga sundalo sa ATM (this August), 'di ba?," said Trillanes, when asking Diokno if such promise from Duterte was ineeded feasible.

"You better advise your president because he’s been making commitments and promises left and right. Ayaw nating masira yung credibility niya, na he’s just a big talker," said the lawmaker.

"Noong sinabing 'August meron na kayo, incremental increase,' palakpakan yung mga sundalo eh. Then here is our DBM secretary saying it’s not gonna happen," added Trillanes.

Avoiding violation Diokno said he didn't want to commit a violation of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) rule just to fulfill Duterte's promise.

"You cannot spend on something that is not authorized by Congress," he added.

The DAP rule Diokno was refering to was outlined in the Supreme Court ruling in July 2014 that bars the following acts: the withdrawal of unobligated allotments from the implementing agencies, and the declaration of the withdrawn unobligated allotments and unreleased appropriations as savings prior to the end of the fiscal year and without complying with the statutory definition of savings contained in the General Appropriations Act (GAA); the cross-border transfers of the savings of the executive to augment the appropriations of other offices outside the executive; and the portion of the DAP that allows the use of unprogrammed funds even without a certification from the National Treasurer saying that revenue collections exceeded the revenue targets due to non-compliance with the conditions provided in the relevant GAA.

Despite the current budget restriction on a pay hike, Diokno still assured the public that the government would put in place measures to "supplement" the current salaries of policemen and servicemen.

"We are doing everything we can at the moment. If fact, we’re trying to supplement their income, one way or the other," Diokno said.

"Maybe (in the) last quarter, we’ll give them rice allowance of 20 kilos per month for every month. Same thing with (conditional cash transfer) beneficiaries but we’re very careful not to spend for something Congress never authorized," he added.

Diokno said adjusting the salaries and improving the pension system of uniformed men would be "a huge cost that we probably have to think very carefully." 

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/577278/news/nation/gov-t-can-t-keep-duterte-s-promise-of-august-pay-hike-for-soldiers-dbm