Be patient on salary increase, AFP chief tells troops

Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Photo: AFP’s Facebook page)

MANILA – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya has told Army officers and enlisted personnel to “be patient” on the promised pay increase.

“(Gen. Visaya) during his visit (here Thursday) urged Army personnel to be patient on the promised salary increase, What the President (Rodrigo Roa Duterte) says, he always make it happen,” Army Spokesperson Col. Benjamin Hao said.

Earlier, Department of Budget and Management Sec. Benjamin Diokno said the government might not be able to double the salaries of existing military and police personnel as the PHP3.35 billion 2017 proposed budget did not have such allocation.

During the presidential campaign, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte promised to double the salary of the military and police. He said doing so would discourage the military and police from engaging in unlawful activities.