President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order, authorizing the fourth and last tranche of salary increase of government employees despite non-passage yet of the P3.757 trillion budget for this year.

Duterte inked on March 15 Executive Order (EO) No. 76, amending EO 201, which modifies the salary schedule and authorizes the grant of additional benefits for civilian and military uniformed personnel. A copy of the EO was released on Wednesday.

"The President does not want to prolong the overdue salary increase that our public servants, who have been working tirelessly and silently for the last two months, have been looking forward to," said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a statement.

He said Duterte directed the Department of Budget and Management to find and recommend a measure to fund the pending fourth tranche of salary increase of the state workers.

"Pending the enactment of the GAB (General Appropriations Bill), the funding requirements for the compensation adjustment for 2019 shall be charged against appropriations under the 2018 GAA, as reenacted, which would be determined by the DBM subject to existing rules and regulations," he said.

The impasse in the enactment and signing of the 2019 GAB led to the delay in the implementation of salary adjustments under the fourth tranche of the Salary Standardization Law.

"We reiterate our vigorous call to the two chambers of Congress to end this impasse on the budget with dispatch that the GAB may finally be transmitted for PRRD's review and approval to assist this government better the lives of our countrymen and help the nation move forward," said Panelo, also chief presidential legal counsel. Celerina Monte/DMS