Question & AnswerQ&A (PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 905)
The main purpose of Presidential Decree No. 905 is to increase the salaries of the personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Service to enable them to effectively represent the country abroad and to offset the diminishing value of their salaries due to inflation and economic conditions.
The salaries of personnel in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign Service were affected by this decree.
The salaries were increased because the Foreign Service is a vital instrument for protecting and advancing the country's interests abroad, and the rise in cost of living due to global inflation and energy crises had reduced the value of existing salaries.
The positions are classified into classes such as Chief of Mission (Class I and II), Career Minister, Senior Foreign Affairs Adviser, Foreign Service Officer (Classes I-IV), Foreign Affairs Adviser, Foreign Service Staff Officers (I-III), and Foreign Service Staff Employees (I-III), each with corresponding salary rates.
A Chief of Mission, Class I receives a monthly salary of 37,344 pesos as per the schedule in the decree.
No, positions not listed fall under the existing WAPCO Classification and Pay Plans as stated in Section 2 of the decree.
Section 3 provides that salary increases will be implemented according to a timetable and rules and regulations as approved by the President.
The decree was enacted by virtue of the powers vested in the President by the Philippine Constitution.
The decree cites the worldwide economic inflation and recent energy crisis as key factors that reduced the value of the current salaries of Foreign Service personnel.