At A Glance
- Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman is keeping the door open for a possible salary increase for government workers in 2024.

(Unsplash)
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman is keeping the door open for a possible salary increase for government workers in 2024.
"Initially, for 2024, under the MPBF (Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund), we have provided P16.95 billion to support the compensation adjustment that may be pursued starting next year," Pangandaman said in a briefing by the House Committee on Appropriations on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 10.
The topic of the briefing was the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024, which militant Makabayan solons feared was devoid of any allocation for a salary hike.
One of them, House Deputy Minority Leader ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, tried to confirm this from the DBM chief.
Pangandaman answered by saying that the process to study the possibility of such an increase has begun.
"Under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA) po, we appropriated P48 million to be given to GCG for the procurement of consultancy service for the review, study of our compensation and position classification system for the government sector," she said.
"As of now, they are undergoing procurement and they said they would be able to provide the results of the study by October, ma'am," Pangandaman told Castro.
"And we think, assuming there's a recommendation of an increase of salary, I think kaya pa naman po (I think it's still possible) before we pass the budget," Pangandaman said rather tantalizingly.
When Castro asked about why P48 million was allocated for the prospective study, the economic manager said the amount was "based on a market survey".
Congress aims to enact the 2024 national budget before the end of the 2023. The annual GAA is based on the NEP.