THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has issued the guidelines, rules, and regulations for the second tranche of the salary hike for civilian government workers.
In a statement, the DBM said National Budget Circular No. 597 was issued in line with the implementation of the updated Salary Schedule for Civilian Personnel under Executive Order (EO) No. 64, s. 2024 signed in August 2024.
“We hope that this second tranche will provide much-needed financial relief and allow our government workers to better support their families, invest in their futures, and enhance their overall quality of life,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.
EO No. 64 stipulates that the updated salary schedule shall be implemented in national government agencies in four tranches, with the first on January 1, 2024, the second on January 1, 2025, the third beginning on January 1, 2026, and the fourth and final tranche beginning on January 1, 2027.
This applies to all civilian government personnel, now existing or hereafter created in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches, the Constitutional Commissions and other Constitutional Offices, State Universities and Colleges, and Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) not covered by Republic Act (RA) No. 10149 and EO No. 150, s. 2021, regardless of appointment status, whether regular, casual, or contractual; appointive or elective; and on a full-time or part-time basis.
But the circular shall not apply to military and uniformed personnel; government agencies that are exempt from RA No. 6758; GOCCs under RA No. 10149 and EO No. 150; individuals engaged without employer-employee relationship and funded from non-Personnel Services appropriations/budgets, such as consultants and experts engaged for a limited period to perform specific activities or services with expected outputs, laborers engaged through job contracts and those paid on a piecework basis, student workers and apprentices, and those whose services are engaged through job orders, contracts of service, or others similarly situated.
The amounts required for the salary adjustment of the civilian government personnel in 2025 shall be charged against the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund and any available appropriations under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, subject to budgeting, accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
For GOCCs covered by the Circular, the amounts shall be charged against their respective corporate operating budgets, as approved by the DBM.