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Easing of salary hike ban defended • Governor says not all will receive increase
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Posted on Feb 17 2000
Citing the government’s legal responsibility to comply with the provisions of an existing public law, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday justified his administration’s move to lift the one-year old moratorium in government salary increases.
Mr. Tenorio explained that a law has been passed and approved by the previous administration but never saw immediate implementation due to budgetary constraints faced by his administration when he assumed office in January 1998.
When he took office two years ago, the government was close to bankruptcy aggravated by the Asian currency crisis which adversely affected tourism, the Commonwealth’s largest revenue-generating industry.
The governor explained that the lifting of the moratorium on wage adjustments of government employees was carefully reviewed, including availability of funds to carry out the much-delayed implementation of the more than four-year old law.
“I discussed the matter with the Civil Service Commission, the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Finance to see whether we can start complying with the provisions of the law,” he pointed out.
Mr. Tenorio said savings from the austerity measures implemented since 1998 will be tapped to fund the wage adjustment, as well as other programs and government undertakings.
He also said that the salary increase is not across the board, stressing that only those who were given permanent or temporary promotions, are in acting or detail assignments and step increases will receive wage adjustments.
He said there was no way the government could implement the wage adjustment because public coffers have depleted to almost zero levels when his administration took over.
Mr. Tenorio said his administration had to impose stringent fiscal discipline in all public offices and programs in order to efficiently run the government, as well as prioritize the delivery of essential services to the community.
The personnel management office and the CSC are now reviewing who. among the government employees, will receive salary adjustment under the law.
