MANILA - Policemen, soldiers and other uniformed personnel will soon start to receive higher salaries after President Rodrigo Duterte approved a joint resolution by Congress modifying their base pay schedule.

Malacañang on Tuesday released a copy of Joint Resolution No. 1, approved by Congress in December last year and the President on January 1, showing the updated list of the base pay of the police, military and other uniformed personnel.

Under the joint resolution, which took effect January 1, an entry-level uniformed officer - Police/Fire/Jail Officer 1, a Private, an Apprentice Seaman, or a Seaman Third Class- who used to receive a base pay of P14,834 shall receive P29,668 this year.

The joint resolution prescribes a two-tranche increase in 2018 and 2019, while some of the ranks will retain their base pay in the implementation of the modified pay schedule in 2019.

The chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, who both have a current base pay of 67,500, will receive P121,143 monthly in 2018 and P149,785 in 2019.

READ: Joint Congress Resolution No. 1 detailing the increased base pay of military and other uniformed personnel @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/YTG4pbvuUw

— Dharel Placido (@dgplacido) January 9, 2018

The resolution said there is a need to increase the compensation of military and other uniformed personnel “in order to make it more commensurate with their critical role in maintaining national security and peace and order.”

The indexation of the pension of retired officers to the base pay shall still be based on the previous base pay scheduled under Joint Resolution No. 4, series of 2009.

The resolution also repeals the provision of Executive Order No. 201, signed by former President Benigno Aquino III, which grants military and other uniformed personnel a monthly provisional allowance and monthly officers’ allowance to supplement their compensation.

The hazard pay, meanwhile, shall now be fixed at P540. Under Aquino’s EO No. 201, the hazard pay of military and uniformed personnel was supposed to increase in four tranches, from P390 starting January 1, 2016 to P840 starting January 1, 2019.

Doubling the salary of soldiers, policemen and other uniformed personnel has been one of the President's oft-repeated promises.

With salaries of uniformed personnel now doubled, the President is next eyeing an increase of salaries of public school teachers, Malacañang said Tuesday.

• Duterte wants to increase teachers’ pay