Combat pay hike included in 2017 budget -- House leader

From the Philippine News Agency (Oct 17): Combat pay hike included in 2017 budget -- House leader

House deputy speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, Jr. said on Monday the combat pay increase is included in the proposed 2017 national budget as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) claimed earlier.

Despite having doubts on which particular part of the proposed budget it will come from, Andaya said in a press conference that the combat pay hike for qualified officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) is part of the proposed budget for next year.

"Meron daw pagkukunan sa budget (It will be supposedly sourced from the budget)… We just have to rely on their (DBM) word at this point in time," said the lawmaker.

Andaya, also a former Budget secretary, said the House has not received any "formal explanation" yet as to specifically where will the officials get the money for combat pay hike.

"Not that I'm not convinced. It’s just a normal way of thinking. The executive order was signed in September. The budget was submitted (to the Congress) in August. How can it be included there?," asked the Camarines Sur representative.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Sept. 26 his third executive order, which includes the increase of combat duty pay of AFP and PNP uniformed personnel from maximum rate of PHP340 for PNP, PHP500 for AFP to a fixed rate of PHP3,000 per month.

Andaya said around PHP12 billion will be allotted only for combat duty pay.

He also mentioned that 80 percent of the AFP and PNP total population are currently qualified for the combat duty allowance.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=931937