MANILA — Government employees who are promoted or whose positions are reclassified may soon receive salary adjustments faster as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) moves to automate the release of funds for personnel services deficiencies.

Acting Budget Secretary Kim Robert De Leon said the DBM is drafting a policy that would allow the department to identify salary funding gaps through updated agency plantilla records and release the needed funds even without a separate request from the agency.

Under the current system, agencies must first report promotions, reclassifications and corresponding salary changes before the DBM can determine and release additional funding.

Under the proposed mechanism, agencies would only need to keep their plantilla master lists updated. Once the DBM detects a funding deficiency, it could automatically release the amount needed to cover the salary adjustment.

The policy is targeted for signing by the end of September, with live testing across government agencies planned in the fourth quarter of 2026.

De Leon said the fourth quarter is an ideal testing period because this is when agencies typically submit requests for additional personnel services funds to cover salary and other compensation requirements.

The reform could particularly benefit public school personnel whose positions are upgraded under the Department of Education’s Expanded Career Progression System.

The DBM recently approved P8.68 billion for salary differentials covering 93,344 reclassified public school positions for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

Another P12.09 billion is proposed in the 2027 national budget for the continued implementation of the career progression system.

The proposed mechanism will not be limited to DepEd and may also cover other national government agencies with personnel services funding deficiencies.

The DBM said the fourth-quarter rollout will be used to assess the system before it is considered for wider implementation.

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