Andaya threatens to sue Diokno if gov’t workers don’t get promised pay hike by Jan 15
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2019 05:33:53 +0000
Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. of the House of Representatives threatened to sue Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno if the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) failed to implement a salary increase for government workers by next week.
“In case he (Diokno) is too proud to take an advice from a congressman, then we might just see each other in court. I will personally file a case for mandamus in the Supreme Court if the DBM will not implement the salary increase by January 15,” Andaya said on Tuesday.
Andaya, a former budget secretary, said that the DBM has been using “scare tactics” in delaying the approval of the proposed 2019 budget which would affect the release of funds for the salary increase of soldiers, policemen, teachers, and civilian employees of the government.
“My advice to Secretary Diokno: Do not make the reenacted budget an excuse in not implementing salary increases for our civil servants. The DBM has all the tools in pushing through with the salary increases this year,” Andaya said.
In the middle of their clash on certain budget anomalies, Andaya referred to Diokno’s previous statement that the fourth tranche for salary increase has to wait for approval in the 2019 budget.
This comes after Congress failed to approve the proposed P3.757-trillion budget for 2019, allowing the government to instead operate on a reenacted budget.
“Considering the fact that the cash budget proposal this year is the same as last year, then a reenacted budget covers the needed funding for the salary increases. The President’s decision to extend the 2018 budget under Joint Resolution No. 3 also gives DBM more spending authority,” Andaya said.
Diokno has been refuting all the “illusory” allegations of Andaya, including his supposed hand in the “insertion” of P75 billion to the the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to benefit a contractor, which has ties to the budget chief.
In 2016, former President Benigno Aquino 3rd signed Executive Order 201, which raises the salary of government employees in a four-year program.
On August 2018, Andaya said that there was a P121.7 billion allocation for the wage increase of civilian and military personnel under the proposed 2019 budget. GLEE JALEA
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