10% salary increase to become law by March 23rd?

I've been trying to track down the proposed bill granting government workers a 10% salary increase since Congress adjourned for the May elections, and a March 15th press release from the Senate is the closest and the latest I got so far.

Here it is: the bill was transmitted to Malacanang on February 22nd. Under the Constitution, the President is given 30 days to act on the bill otherwise, it will lapse into law. Of course, the President would not allow the bill to become a law without her signature. In December last year, she made a pronouncement that the pay hike of government workers be given priority. As a matter of fact, a news item in the government portal lists the pay hike bill is one of those lined for signature of the President either on March 23rd or 24th.

It's almost certain that state workers including those in LGUs and GOCCs are assured of a windfall comes July 2007, the effectivity of the increase. We have yet to see though how the increase will eventually be implemented - whether it's exactly a 10% or a P1,000 a month increase. If we go by the appropriations cover of P10.3 billion, it's almost the same amount required to implement the P1,000 AdCom increase last year. Let's cross our finger.