Not all sitting senators enjoyed pay increase

Let me take this opportunity to commend Neal Cruz on the stalwart and fearless opinions he had expressed in his columns over the years. As a veteran journalist and a profound thinker, he has influenced and shaped many Filipino minds.

However, allow me to clarify a few things regarding the column titled “Lawmakers quietly doubled their pay.” (Inquirer, 8/10/11)

May I quote from the column: “I learned that the senators have quietly doubled their own salaries from P80,000 a month to P150,000 a month.”

Since 1987, when the Senate of the Philippines was reestablished at the end of martial law, the senators, with a salary pay scale of level 31, were paid P35,000 a month as compensation. The Senate president, whose salary grade is a step higher than the senators, received P40,000 a month.

The passage of the Salary Standardization Law entitled all government workers in the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative branches to an increase in salary pay to cope with the rising costs of living.

The Senate and the House of Representatives approved Joint Resolution No. 4 on July 17, 2009, which authorized the president to modify the compensation and position classification system of government workers and implement the salary increases in four tranches, from 2009 to 2012, following the Department of Budget and Management—National Budget Circular No. 530. This is the basis for the increase in the senators’ salaries. They cannot “quietly double their pay” since it is against the Constitution.

As per our payroll records from the Senate Human Resources Service, 12 senators (reelectionists and first-time senators) of the 15th Congress enjoyed a salary increase—from P35,000 a month to P69,450 a month last year. The Senate president received P79,451 a month.

The rest of the senators were not entitled to the increase since they were signatories to Resolution No. 4 and had not yet finished their terms.

Sec. 10 of the Constitution states, “the salaries of senators and members of the House of Representatives shall be determined by law. No increase in said compensation shall take effect until after the expiration of the full term of all the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives approving the increase.”

This year, the third tranche of increase was implemented on June 1. The 12 senators’ salaries were raised from P69,450 a month to P79,729 a month. The Senate president receives P91,226 a month. This is in accordance with law.

It would be an injustice if our senators who have worked tirelessly even during recess, would be maligned in the course of their job. I hope we have clarified the issue to Cruz’s satisfaction. We would welcome a visit or call from him should he need more assistance.

—RAYMOND CORRO,

director,

Public Relations and Information Bureau,

Senate, Pasay City