Pay was poor but fairly competitive with the civilian economy and the standard of living of the average Filipino, ensuring that the AFP never lacked sufficient volunteers. Still, many soldiers lived at or below the poverty line. The average private made the equivalent of about US$50 a month, and not even senior officers could afford to live lavishly on their salary alone. In apparent recognition of the impact of poor pay on military morale, Aquino authorized additional benefits and a pay increase that averaged 60 percent in the wake of the 1987 coup attempt. Benefits included housing, medical and dental care, commissary privileges, insurance, death benefits, and a retirement plan for service of twenty to thirty years.

Data as of June 1991