Here's how much elected officials can earn monthly if they win the 2025 midterm polls
When the certificate of candidacy filing began on Oct. 1, many couldn't help but doubt some aspiring candidates.
That's because government officials—whose qualifications are relatively easy (Filipino citizen and resident, of a certain age, registered voter, able to read and write)—earn a significant amount of money, which is a stark contrast to what the average working Juan and Maria get.
Metro Manila's daily minimum wage is P645, or P12,900 monthly, as of July 2024.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the average annual family income for 2023 was around P353,000. That's equivalent to about P29,400 per month, not yet taking into account the number of breadwinners in the household.
So, just how much do elected officials earn?
Salary Grade
Government officials earn through a compensation plan under the Republic Act No. 6758 or the Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989.
The law determines a salary grade (SG), which represents a level of difficulty and responsibility of work.
There are 33 SGs, with each one having eight salary steps except for SG 33 (president) which has only one step. The steps account for pay increases in relation to the length of service in the position, with the first step being the starting pay and the eighth step being the maximum rate.
The SG represents full compensation for full-time employment in a 40-hour workweek regardless of where the work is performed.
The latest salary schedule for government officials can be found on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) website.
Elective positions for 2025 and their corresponding salary
These are the elective positions for 2025 and their corresponding SG, according to the DBM.
- Senator – SG 31 (starts at P285,813)
- Senate President – SG 32 (starts at P339,921)
- House of Representatives Member – SG 31 (starts at P285,813)
- House Speaker – SG 32 (starts at P339,921)
- Provincial Governor – SG 30 (starts at P196,199)
- Provincial Vice Governor – SG 28 (starts at P154,320)
- Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member – SG 27 (starts at P136,893)
- City Mayor – SG 30 (starts at P196,199)
- Municipal Mayor II – SG 28 (starts at P154,320)
- Municipal Mayor I – SG 27 (starts at P136,893)
- Municipal Vice Mayor II – SG 26 (starts at P121,146)
- Municipal Vice Mayor I – SG 25 (starts at P107,208)
- Vice Mayor II – SG 28 (starts at P154,320)
- Vice Mayor I – SG 26 (starts at P121,146)
- Sangguniang Panlungsod Member II – SG 27 (starts at P136,893)
- Sangguniang Panlungsod Member I – SG 25 (starts at P107,208)
- Sangguniang Bayan Member II – SG 25 (starts at P107, 208)
- Sangguniang Bayan Member I – SG 24 (starts at P94,132)
Honoraria for barangay officials
Compared to higher-level government positions, serving as a barangay official may not be as financially rewarding.
Their compensation primarily consists of honoraria, with the punong barangay receiving P1,000 per month and the sangguniang barangay members, barangay secretary, barangay treasurer, and Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman earning P600 per month each.
These minimum rates may be increased to a maximum rate equivalent to the first step of the following SGs being implemented by the city or municipality where the barangay belongs:
- Punong Barangay – SG 14 (P35,434)
- Sangguniang Barangay Members, Barangay Secretary, Barangay Treasurer, SK Chairman – SG 10 (P24,381)
The midterm elections are on May 12, 2025. Overseas Filipinos may vote from April 13 to May 12, while local absentees—AFP, the Philippine National Police, and media practitioners—may vote from April 28 to 30.
According to Comelec, there will be a total of 18,272 national and local political positions in the 2025 elections, which is an increase of 200 positions compared to the 2022 polls.