By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental assured its more than 3,000 employees that it will implement the fourth tranche of their salary increase next year.
Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, provincial administrator, said Wednesday that the Capitol has implemented the 3rd tranche of the salary increase for government workers effective July 2022 as approved by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and the Sanggunian Panalalawigan.
“Next year, if we have additional savings we can also implement the fourth tranche under the Salary Standardization Law (SSL). The salary increase will depend on an employee’s salary grade,” Diaz said.
He added that those who will benefit from the latest round of wage hikes for government workers will be those in the lower ranks and middle managers.
Diaz also said that the provincial government has retrained all its employees classified as job orders, casuals, and contract of service as “they are considered essentials.”
“They are professionals that do jobs required by national agencies but can’t be accommodated as regular employees. The hiring of additional employees continues as we replace employees who can’t continue their service for a variety of reasons,” Diaz said.
The Progressive Alliance of Capitol Employees (PACE) said it “is thankful to the continued support of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental thru the leadership of Hon. Eugenio Jose Lacson, for their assurance of the implementation of the fourth tranche salary increase despite the reduction of the National Tax Allocation.”
“PACE was invited to the Budget Conference and was even assured by the Provincial Administrator, Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II, that the benefits of the provincial government employees for this is properly protected and preserved as a gesture of support for the welfare of the workforce,” PACE president Renelo Lastierre said in a statement.
PACE encouraged fellow employees and workers to recompense the same thru efficient public service and increase their passion to serve with utmost diligence.
Local government units face a 14.7 percent cut in their National Tax Allotment (NTA) next year.
Negros Occidental and its 31 towns and cities including Bacolod City will suffer a P3.8-billion drop in its NTA share in 2023.
It means that they will receive a total of P22,509,531,116 in 2023 compared to P26,317,672,315 in 2022.
The provincial government’s NTA share will drop by P782,280,808.
