Parity in pay for LGU workers pushed

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd’s signing of Executive Order (EO) No. 201, adjusting the salaries of government personnel, both civilian and military, is a welcome development but unless the share of barangays, towns, cities and provinces from national tax collections is increased government workers won’t be able to feel the pay hike, Senate president pro-tempore Ralph Recto said Sunday.

Recto, chairman of the Senate finance subcommittee, noted that raising the internal revenue allotment (IRA) of LGUs is the only way for local governments to meet the financial cost of the Salary Standardization Law IV (SSL IV), which the president effected through EO 201 on February 19.