Budget office: City Hall workers’ 21-month salary deficit uncertain

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City Budget Office has indicated that there is little hope for City Hall employees to receive their 21-month salary deficit, which has accumulated since the annual salary hike for government workers in 2019.

“Their 21-month deficit is no longer certain,” said City Budget Officer Viminale Capulso.

Capulso emphasized that the city government fully implemented the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) of 2019 in 2023.

However, she clarified that salary increases are contingent upon the availability of funds.

“When the full implementation began in 2023, the city did not have sufficient funds to support the increase,” Capulso explained.

“At that time, there were no available funds to support the increase, and the Department of Budget and Management allowed local government units to delay implementation if funds were insufficient.”

Capulso added, “We are not mandated to implement immediately if there is a lack of funds.”

She also clarified that the deficit cannot be included in the supplemental budget. The current priority of the city government is to implement the SSL from 2024 to 2027.

Earlier this July, Andrew Murray Durano, an administrative assistant at the Office of the City Veterinarian, wrote to City Mayor Jerry Treñas regarding the unpaid salary increase back pay for permanent city government employees, as required by the 2019 SSL.

“I believe the Iloilo City Government still owes 21 months of salary increase back pay to its permanent employees,” Durano wrote.

“Given your commitment to the welfare and well-being of our city’s government employees, I believe this matter might have been inadvertently overlooked,” he added.