Arroyo wants soldiers' pay hiked before term ends

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to look into how the next round of salary hike for soldiers could be implemented. President Arroyo bared this in a speech Monday during the 113th founding anniversary of Philippine Army in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig. “I have asked DBM to help us find the means so that you can receive it somewhat earlier. Let us cross our fingers that the DBM can find a solution," she said. The government needs at least P4 billion a month to implement the ongoing salary standardization program for soldiers and other government workers. President Arroyo said there are sectors asking for the implementation of the next round of Salary Standardization Law (SSL) before July, which is when the wage hike in government worker’ pay under the latest salary standardization program is due. The President is set to step down from office on June 30. Under the SSL, which began in July 2009, government will implement in a staggered basis for four years a government-wide salary increase to help public servants cope with the times and to make their wages comparable with those in the private sector. "Due to the Salary Standardization Law, which we worked for, our soldiers can look forward to yearly increases until 2012," President Arroyo said. She added that since she became president in 2001, the soldiers’ pay have doubled, saying that a private who earns P5,500 monthly then now earns up to P12,149. During her speech, President Arroyo also announced packages of benefits for the close to 120,000 military personnel, including the doubling of the benefits for soldiers killed or wounded in action; the provision of more scholarships for the children of soldiers; more housing projects; more amenities for the uniformed men and women in the field; and more modern equipment that enhanced the night fighting capability of the soldiers. She said these benefits and salary hikes form part of the AFP modernization program to boost the morale, professionalism and effectiveness of the soldiers. - KBK, GMANews.TV