(Pinatututukan sa Malakanyang, Kamara)UMENTO SA SAHOD NG GOV’T WORKERS

UMAASA si House Deputy Minority Leader at ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro na bukod sa pagpapalabas sa fourth tranche ng Salary Standardization Law (SSL) V, pagtutuunan din ng pansin ng Malakanyang at liderato ng Kamara ang iba’t ibang panukalang batas na naglalayong itaas ang sahod ng mga government worker.

Pagbibigay-diin ni Castro, karamihan sa mga kawani ng pamahalaan, kasama na ang 92% ng mga guro, ay nananatiling nasa mababang family living wage sa kabilang ng pinakahuling salary increase.

“Amid the record-high inflation rate, government employees are in dire need of an increase in their salaries to be able to provide decent lives for their families. The current family living wage is P1,133 per day according to the IBON Foundation, increasing the minimum salaries of entry-level government employees to P33,000 per month is urgent and necessary,” sabi pa ni Castro.

“We filed House Bill 6560 establishing the national minimum monthly salary in government. We also filed House Bill 203 upgrading the salary grade of public school teachers from salary grade 11 to salary grade 15. It is only a matter of prioritization from the Marcos Jr. administration to make adequate and decent salary increases for government employees a reality,” dagdag ng kongresista.

Giit ni Castro, ang dating mga simpleng bilihin tulad ng sibuyas, itlog, asukal at mantika ay napakamahal na sa mga pamilihan kung saan tumaas na rin, aniya, ang pamasahe; dagdag pa rito ang paparating na taas-singil sa koryente, tubig at pamasahe sa LRT 1 at 2.

“Hindi na talaga nakakasabay sa taas ng mga bilihin ang baba ng suweldo ng ating mga government employees na napakalayo ang baba ng sinusuweldo na P13,000 sa family living wage na P33,000. Nararapat at napapanahon lamang ang agarang pagpapataas ng suweldo para sa mga kawani ng gobyerno,” ayon pa sa mambabatas.

“We urge the Marcos Jr. administration to certify wage and salary bills in Congress as urgent. It should make concrete steps that will immediately benefit the people. The Marcos Jr..administrstion must act now to immediately relieve the people of the heavy burden of the effects of high inflation and the below-living wages they receive. The number of unemployed remains high, underemployed is increasing, and the number of Filipinos suffering from hunger is also climbing. Increasing the salaries and wages should be a top priority for the Marcos Jr. administration,” dagdag pa niya.

ROMER R. BUTUYAN