15 percent pay hike to improve PNP services

A little more in take home pay can go a long way.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Leandro Mendoza expressed optimism yesterday that policemen in the field will deliver more efficient services with a 15 percent increase in their salary beginning this month.

President Arroyo has approved a P1.450-billion supplemental budget for the salary increase of policemen and police retirees, Mendoza said.

However, the PNP through Director Reynaldo Velasco, director for comptrollership, is still coordinating with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the release of the budget.

Velasco explained that the PNP cannot implement the salary increase unless the DBM issues the required special allotment release order and notice of cash allotment for the supplemental budget.

Mendoza, who starting this July will enjoy a P37,140 monthly salary, said the P1.450 billion appropriated for the PNP is part of the P10-billion supplemental budget under Republic Act 9137.

Under this program, the PNP chief gets to have an 11 percent increase in salary from the previous P33,360.

Mendoza said the basic monthly salary increase ranges from 9.80 to 21.99 percent or an average of 15 percent increase in base pay for all uniformed personnel, depending on rank.

Police non-commissioned officers will get bigger rates of basic salary increases ranging from 17.86 to 21.99 percent.

Police commissioned officers with ranks from Inspector (P18,520 to P20,060) to Director General will receive base pay increases ranging from 9.8 to 13.18 percent.

The lowest ranking policeman with the rank of Police Officer 1 (PO1) is expected to receive a 17.79 percent increase in base pay (P9,632 to P10,714).

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Crescencio Maralit said the leadership is hoping that this increase would encourage the policemen in the field to enhance their performance.

"We expect less policemen getting involved in illegal activities. We hope that they will do their share on the job," he said.

Maralit noted the importance of looking into the welfare of the policemen, who risk their lives in the service.

Assistant Budget Secretary Eduardo Opida will meet with the Police Retirees Association Inc. today at Camp Crame to iron out matters on retirees’ benefits.

Officials said part of the supplemental budget will be used to pay the PNP’s obligations to police retirees.

Director Efren Fernandez, of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management, instructed all PNP regional offices and national support units to organize cooperatives in their respective units.

Fernandez lamented that about 80 percent of policemen have become dependent on financial loans from private lending institutions (PLIs) whenever they need ready cash.