Philippine Army soldiers stand at attention during the celebration of the 126th Philippine Army founding anniversary in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on March 22, 2023. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA (UPDATED) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has raised the subsistence allowance for officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The Presidential Communications Office this week said Marcos on March 14 signed Executive Order 84, which increases the daily subsistence allowance from to P350 from P150.

The increase in allowance will be retroactively applied starting January 1, 2025, it said.

The executive order said boosting the AFP's subsistence allowance is needed to "protect and promote their welfare, in recognition of their sacrifices and perseverance, in defending and upholding the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."

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The current AFP subsistence allowance — which was last adjusted in 2015 — is no longer enough to meet the daily sustenance of an active-duty soldier, the order added.

The minimum private sector wage in the Philippines ranges from P316 a day in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to P645 in the National Capital Region.

The increase also covers trainees and probationary second lieutenants or ensigns undergoing training, Citizen Military Training cadets, and reservists.

The funding for the allowance hike will be sourced from the 2025 national budget and "other funding sources identified by the Department of Budget and Management," Marcos Jr. said.

PROTESTS, RUMORS OF RESIGNATIONS

The EO was signed about three days since several protests, especially in Mindanao, over the arrest and transport of former President Duterte to the Netherlands, where he will be tried before the International Criminal Court.

Some Duterte supporters claimed that the incident prompted several police and military personnel to resign from their posts as a show of indignation against the Marcos Jr. administration, which allowed the arrest to be carried out.

Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, Armed Forces spokesperson, called on the public to be discerning in the face of unconfirmed information, adding the AFP “remains a professional, unified, and non-partisan institution, committed to its constitutional mandate of defending the nation and serving the Filipino people."

Military, police deny rumors of resignations in support of Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity and murder for the extrajudicial killings committed during his administration’s war on drugs.