The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) has approved a P-20 wage hike for over 1,000 job order and casual employees of the provincial government a little over a month before Christmas.

SP Members approved on Tuesday an appropriation ordinance that raised the daily wage of job order and plantilla causal employees of the Capitol by P20 through a recommendation made by Governor Arthur Yap to the legislative body.

Yap’s recommendation was made through Resolution No. 03-2019 filed by the Capitol’s finance committee and submitted to the SP.

It stated that the wage hike is needed amid the increasing prices of basic commodities and to “boost the morale” of the provincial workforce.

“As incentives to workers who contributed to the accomplishments of the Province of Bohol, said workers deserve to be given an increase of P20 on their daily wage,” the resolution, signed by Provincial Administrator Kathyrin Pioquinto and members of the Capitol’s finance committee, said.

The salary increase would be retroactively applied, covering all months starting January this year.

Augustus Escobia, chief of the Capitol communications department, said that funds are expected to be released after computations are made by the end of December.

Based on data from the Commission on Audit, the provincial government employs 166 plantilla casual and 1,450 job order workers as of 2018. (rt)