The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the Marcos administration is increasing support for the military and uniformed personnel (MUP) this year, introducing higher base salaries, increased subsistence allowances and new positions.
DBM said the higher take-home pay comes after the issuance of Executive Order No. 107, which mandates salary increases in three phases.
The DBM issued National Budget Circular No. 600 on 13 January.
The salary hike has already started from January 1, and will be made in the next rounds on January 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028.
“P21.7 billion is clearly allocated for this (salary increase) – P15.4 billion for active service and P6.3 billion for pension obligations,” the DBM said in a statement on Wednesday.
Budget Secretary Rolando U. Toledo said the move recognizes the daily sacrifices MUPs make to defend the country, often to the point of exhaustion, sleepless nights and long hours away from their families.
“It's not written on water – that's for sure, and funding has already been set aside,” he said.
With the take-home pay increase, effective January 1, the subsistence allowance increases from P150 per day to P350 per day.
The DBM said it has allocated P71.5 billion to guarantee the continued implementation of the higher allowance benefit.
“The increase in subsistence allowance is not a luxury or a favor – it is a recognition that those who defend the nation must have adequate food, strength and daily nutrition,” Mr. Toledo said.
It includes all MUPs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Public Safety College, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Corrections, Philippine Coast Guard and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Additionally, the DBM said 10,077 new military and uniformed positions will be created in the agencies under the 2026 national budget, supported by a P4.06 billion allocation.
The DBM said the new posts are aimed at reducing workload pressures and strengthening the government's capacity to respond to threats, crises and disasters.
Broken down, the PNP, BFP and BJMP will each add 2,000 new posts.
The Coast Guard will add 1,719 posts, the Armed Forces will add 1,358 posts, and the Bureau of Corrections will add 1,000 posts. — Aubrey Rose A. innocente