DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan--PROMDI Party presidential candidate Senator Manny Pacquiao on Thursday, March 3, vowed to pursue the regularization of non-elective barangay personnel and the implementation of salary standards for barangay workers throughout the country.
Pacquiao made the promise in front of barangay officials of Barangay Poblacion Oeste here who honored him as an adopted son of the community.
Pacquiao and his campaign team have been barnstorming several areas in vote-rich Pangasinan and were given a rousing reception by local folk.
In his talks with Poblacion Oeste Barangay Chairman Macmac Gutierrez during a “boodle fight” with village officials and residents, Pacquiao said that he has filed a bill which seeks to give barangay personnel regular salaries just like any other government worker.
Pacquiao has authored Senate Bill (SB) No. 1956 otherwise known as the “Barangay Officials Salary 2 Standardization Act of 2020”, which seeks to amend the Local Government Code to finally give barangay officials and personnel regular salaries and special risk allowance during calamities.
The bill which, remains pending in the Senate, “seeks to provide regularization, salary standardization, and additional benefits that will supplement those already provided in existing laws, rules, and regulations, in favor of all appointed and elected barangay officials".
The bill also proposes that barangay chief executives, the members of the Sangguniang Barangay (SB), the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Chairperson, the barangay secretary, and barangay treasurer be declared as regular employees of the government thereby allowing them to enjoy the benefits of all government workers.
Pacquiao added barangay personnel should be also be given commensurate remuneration and health benefits for the dangers they face in dealing with crises such as the present problem on the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Mindanaoan senator said he would ask the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to develop a “ standardized position classification and compensation scheme for barangay officials, personnel, and volunteer workers, taking into consideration their educational qualification, nature of work intended to be performed, and the financial capability of their respective barangays, and subject to the minimum qualification standards and guidelines to be prescribed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC)".
This scheme shall be comprised of three salary grades, namely: 1. Barangay Salary Grade I for barangay appointive officials as already provided by law, and other barangay personnel the positions of which are provided for by ordinance of the corresponding barangay with a salary of P15,000 per month; 2. Barangay Salary Grade II for barangay elective officials in the SK and SB with the exception of the Punong Barangay with a salary of P25,000 per month; and 3. Barangay Salary Grade III for Punong Barangay with salary of P35,000 a month.
As regularized government employees, Pacquiao said barangay officials and personnel shall likewise be entitled to 13th-month pay, a Christmas bonus of P3,000, and other bonuses as may be provided by law.