Overview

• The March 31 expiration of a salary freeze has triggered an automatic increase in senators' gross monthly pay to over 9 million pesos, effective May 2025.
• After deductions, senators are expected to take home between 6.5 and 7 million pesos net each month, equivalent to 18–20 minimum pensions.
• The increase has drawn criticism as it surpasses 30 minimum pensions, highlighting legislative inaction before the third-week April deadline to extend the freeze.
• Vice President Victoria Villarruel plans to raise the issue of reinstating the freeze during the next Parliamentary Labor meeting, ahead of Supreme Court nomination debates.
• The salary boost stems from a modular system tied to public-sector wage negotiations, which senators approved in April 2024 alongside the addition of a 'dieta número 13' bonus.