A Philippine senator on Monday backed a P3,000 increase in a monthly allowance for eligible government employees, a measure aimed at easing the burden of rising living costs on public sector workers.

Senator Joseph Victor "JV" G. Ejercito said in a statement that raising the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance (PERA) to P5,000 per month would help government workers navigate higher prices. The emergency subsidy has not been adjusted in more than 15 years, he added, leaving it at P2,000 per month — a level the proposed P5,000 rate would more than double.

Mr. Ejercito is pushing for the passage of Senate Bill No. 2540, the proposed PERA Adjustment Act, which would institutionalize PERA as a sustainable subsidy designed to protect public servants from economic shocks and reduce the need for repeated legislative intervention. Under the measure, the allowance would be adjusted every year in line with the Philippines' annual inflation rate, replacing the long-static fixed amount with a mechanism that tracks price movements.

All national government, local government, and uniformed personnel — whether appointed or elected — would be covered by the amended PERA. Government workers stationed abroad would be excluded, as they already receive overseas allowances.

Mr. Ejercito said the proposed increase would also address financial concerns raised by teachers' and government workers' groups, including the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the Alliance of Health Workers, and COURAGE.\nPERA is a monthly allowance granted to Philippine government personnel and has remained unchanged for over 15 years. For the measure to advance, attention now turns to the rest of the legislative pipeline: under the Philippines' legislative process, the bill would need to be approved by both chambers of Congress — the Senate and the House of Representatives — and signed by the President before it can take effect.

— Francessca S. Abalos

Source: BusinessWorld