President Aquino has signed Executive Order 201 entitled “Modifying the Salary Schedule for Civilian Government Personnel and Authorizing the Grant of Additional Benefits for Both Civilian and Military and Uniformed Personnel.” Let me read some portions of the justification for this executive order.

First, on the matter of compensation adjustment strategy. To ensure that the compensation structure of government personnel is comparable with the prevailing rates in the private sector, thereby attracting and retaining competent and committed civil servants, the existing Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS) is hereby revised or updated to conform with the following—you can get this from the copies that I will be sharing—but, anyway, let me enumerate:

a) raise the minimum salary for Salary Grade I from the current rate of P9,000 to P11,068 to make it even more competitive with the market rates;

b) bring the compensation of government personnel closer to their private counterparts to at least 70 percent of the median of the market for all salary grades;

c) eliminate overlaps in between salary grade allocations of government personnel to recognize differences in duties and responsibilities of the position;

d) maximize the net take home pay of government personnel through the inclusion of additional benefits; and

e) strengthen the performance-based incentive system in recognition of government personnel who play a greater role and carry a heavier responsibility in attaining performance targets and delivering results.

For the military and uniformed personnel (MUP), the compensation adjustment strategy shall be aligned with the objective of mitigating the fiscal crisis building up in their pension system and pursuing the pension reform. What I have just enumerated are the provisions in Section 1 of Executive Order 201. For a better understanding of the implications of the executive order, I will now answer your questions.

EO 201

Patricia de Leon (CNN Philippines): Sec, having mentioned the fiscal crisis in their pension system, what will be the scheme for ‘yung mga military and uniformed personnel natin? Will they only get additional benefits?

SEC. COLOMA: Okay. The section pertaining to military and uniformed personnel may be found in Section 7 of the—Section 7, Section 8, and Section 9 of EO 201. Section 7 is entitled “Provisional Allowance Schedule for Military and Uniformed Personnel” and this is for all military and uniformed personnel from candidate soldier to general in the AFP/DND and their equivalents in the DILG uniformed personnel namely BJMP and BFP—that’s Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and Bureau of Fire Protection—and PNP (Philippine National Police) and PPSC (Philippine Public Safety College), also for Philippine Coast Guard, also for NAMRIA. So those are the different positions covered under the section on military and uniformed personnel.

And there are there are three items—well, that’s Section 7. In Section 8, there is hazard pay… Teka muna, ano, let’s backtrack on section… That’s Section 7. That’s correct, ano, from candidate soldier to general and the equivalents. You can refer to the full text of the EO. Section 8 mentions hazard pay. So the additional benefit is hazard pay of all military and uniformed personnel. It shall be increased from the current rate of P240 per month to the following rates: a) starting January 1, 2016, P390 per month; b) by January 1, 2017, P540 per month; c) by January 1, 2018, P690 per month; and d) by January 1, 2019, P840 per month.

And then Section 9 is entitled “Officers’ Allowance.” An officer’s allowance shall be given to the following MUP ranks, likewise as an interim measure until such time that the base pay schedule is modified and rationalized at the rates below, and it is from the rank of ‘Captain’ in the DND/AFP to ‘General’ and the equivalents—similarly to Section 7—the equivalents in DILG/PCG/NAMRIA. And these are all enumerated in the full text of EO 201 that I will shortly give out to you.

Dale de Vera (TV-5): Sir, good afternoon. In the ‘Coffee with Media’ of President Aquino in Los Angeles, he was asked why he was not able to sign the EO. He mentioned ‘performance-based bonus and performance enhancement incentives.’ How was it resolved?

SEC. COLOMA: What the President was seeking was a clarification because both are called performance… Well, both had the label‘performance.’ So he wanted to clarify if it was in order that there will be two types of benefits pertaining to performance of the same employee for the same period. And it was clarified that there is sufficient legal basis for both performance-based bonus and performance enhancement incentive, and that is also included in the executive order.

‘Yung enhanced performance-based bonus and productivity enhancement incentive, those are discussed or mentioned in Sections 5 and 6 respectively of the EO. Alexis?

Alexis Romero (Philippine Star): Sec, I understand hindi kasama ‘yung GOCCs because they have their respective charters, ‘di po ba?

SEC. COLOMA: Okay. According to DBM, the matter of salary adjustments for GOCCs as provided for in Republic Act 10149, which is the GCG (Governance Commission for GOCCs) Act, is covered by a separate study. So talagang hindi siya kasama dito sa pag-aaral na ito ng SSL.

Mr. Romero: So can they expect some similar adjustments?

SEC. COLOMA: Hintayin na lang natin ang pahayag ng GCG. Klina-clarify lang natin na hindi talaga kasama ‘yung GOCCs from the onset. It’s covered by a separate study.

BENEFITS FOR SLAIN POLICE

Florante Rosales (DZRH): Sir, different issue lang. May nangyari po kasing ambush doon sa Baggao, Cagayan—I think last Monday or Tuesday—at ‘yung family po nila ay humihingi rin ‘nung kahalintulad na benefits sa mga namatay na pulis at nasugatan o doon sa mga namatay rin na mga sundalo o mga pulis doon sa Mamasapano encounter.

SEC. COLOMA: Covered sila ng existing regulations and provisions of law. So ‘yung mga tinanggap na mandatory benefits kahalintulad din ‘non ang matatamo nila dahil iisang batas lang naman ang pinagbabatayan.

FIGHTER JETS

Mr. Rosales: Okay, Sec. Another issue, sir, patanong lang po. Kanina po, ‘di ba, ang Pangulo ay sinalubong ng dalawang fighter jets—sabi niyo kanina—samay over Polillo Island.

SEC. COLOMA: Polillo Island, oo.

Mr. Rosales: First time po ba ito na nangyari na ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas ay inalalayan ng eroplano o fighter jets?

SEC. COLOMA: Context lang, ano…

Mr. Rosales: Opo.

SEC. COLOMA: Matagal na tayong walang fighter jets, ‘di ba? Batid natin ‘yon.

Mr. Rosales: Opo…

SEC. COLOMA: ‘Yung unang—

Mr. Rosales: Since Marcos time po yata.

SEC. COLOMA: Hindi naman yata ganoon, basta matagal-tagal na rin. ‘Nung natanggap ito o na-deliver ito noong November 2015 at pinasinayaan ‘nung pagdating ng Pangulo mula sa ASEAN Summit sa Kuala Lumpur, at ngayon naman ay ipinakita na ‘yung… Nakita na rin natin ito doon sa AFP Day na ipinagdiwang noong December 21, 2015 sa Clark Field. Ito namang ganitong pagsalubong, it’s a common practice dahil Commander-in-Chief ang Pangulo, and this is also practiced in other states na parang nagbibigay-pugay at nagbibigay ng escort honors kapag pumapasok na ‘yung kanyang sasakyan sa air space ng ating bansa.

Pero pansinin natin, ito naman ‘yung unang pagkakataon na pwede itong maisagawa dahil nga sa pinakamahabang panahon ay wala tayong kahit isang fighter jet. At dahil din sa pagpupursigi ng Pangulo, kanyang determinasyon na mapalawak ‘yung AFP Modernization Program, nakapag-procure tayo ng isang buong squadron ng FA-50 fighter jets mula sa South Korea at ‘yan na nga ‘yung initial delivery. ‘Yung kumpletong pagbubuo ng isang full squadron matatamo natin ‘yan by 2017.

Mr. Rosales: May mga haka-haka rin po kasi, Secretary, na posibleng may banta sa Pangulo dahil may kinalaman daw sa agawan ng teritoryo sa West Philippine Sea kung saan nagpadala ang China ng anti-missile vessel.

SEC. COLOMA: Wala pong kinalaman.

Mr. Rosales: Thank you, Sec.

CHINA MISSILE AT THE PARACELS

Shiela Frias (IBC-13): Good afternoon, Sec, medyo kaugnay po doon sa sabi po ni Kuya Flor. May confirmation na po ba doon sa missile po ng China?

SEC. COLOMA: Okay. Mayroong iba’t ibang ulat hinggil sa confirmation niyan. According to DFA Spokesperson Charles Jose, ‘yung pangyayaring ‘yan ay sa Woody Island na bahagi ng Paracels na hindi naman ‘yan covered ng any of our maritime entitlement claims. Pero ‘yung diwa na pinag-uusapan dito, ‘yung—tinalakay din kasi ito doon sa special ASEAN-US Summit—na ‘yung mga features sa South China Sea o West Philippine Sea covered din ‘yan ‘nung Declaration on the (Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea) at ‘yung ipinapanukala na Code of Conduct na hindi dapat gumawa ng ano mang hakbang na maaaring makapagpataas sa tensyon sa rehiyon natin, ‘yung Southeast Asian region, at ito ay tinalakay ng mga pinuno ng ASEAN na nagkaisa sa kanilang joint statement sa pagsasabing ang dapat pairalin dito ay ‘yung rules-based settlement of disputes.

At batid naman ng mundo na nitong mga nakaraang taon ay lumutang ang iba’t ibang usapin hinggil sa mga maritime entitlements, at doon sa bahagi ‘non na tuwirang apektado ang Pilipinas, nagpasya tayo na idulog ito sa UN Arbitral Tribunal. At doon nga sa special ASEAN-US Summit, nanawagan si Pangulong Aquino na dapat sundin ng lahat ng bansa—kasama na rito ang People’s Republic of China—kung ano man ‘yung magiging pasya ng UN Arbitral Tribunal para bigyang-sustansya o bigyang-kahulugan ‘yung konsepto ng rules-based settlement of disputes.

Ms. Frias: Sec, in case lang po na ma-confirm, ano po ‘yung magiging hakbang ng pamahalaan dito?

SEC. COLOMA: Kaya nga, ano, linawin muna natin ‘yung konteksto. Unang-una, ‘yon naman ay naganap sa isang lugar na hindi naman tayo tuwirang sangkot. Nandoon ‘yon sa Paracels. ‘Yung ating claims pertain to the Spratlys. Be that as it may, we are affirming the principles embodied in the Declaration on the (Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea) at ‘yung katatapos nga lang na ASEAN-US special summit na kung saan malinaw naman doon ‘yung deklarasyon ng iba’t ibang bansa kung ano ang dapat na mamayani sa lugar na ‘yan at ‘yun ‘yong rule of law at ‘yung paggalang sa mga karapatan ng mga bansang mayroong maritime entitlement claims.