BUDGET Secretary Amenah Pangandaman yesterday said government employees will start receiving their mid-year bonus, which is equivalent to their one-month basic pay, starting today.
In a briefing after a sectoral meeting in Malacañang, Pangandaman said eligible workers are those who have been working in the government for at least four months from July 1, 2023 to May 15, 2024 and have received a satisfactory performance rating in the most recent rating or performance appraisal period.
“Good news po! So, tomorrow (Wednesday) ipapalabas na po, I mean nasa kanila na po ang cash. So, (sa Wednesday) po mari-receive na po ng mga government employees ang kanilang mid-year bonus po — that’s one month salary po sa ating mga kawani ng gobyerno [Good news! So, tomorrow [Wednesday] we will release, I mean the cash has already been released to them. So, tomorrow [Wednesday] the government employees will receive their midyear bonus – that’s one month salary for our government employees],” she said.
In a statement, she also said: “We know that this is eagerly awaited by our fellow government employees and will significantly assist them in meeting their daily needs.”
The DBM said the mid-year bonus shall be given to all civilian personnel, including regular, casual, and contractual employees, whether full-time or part-time, in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, constitutional commissions, other constitutional offices, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) covered by the Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS), as well as local government units (LGUs).
Also eligible are members of the military and uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, personnel from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Public Safety Colleges, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections, Philippine Coast Guard, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.
The DBM said the mid-year bonuses for personnel in provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays will be determined by their respective Sanggunian, Councils, subject to policy conditions set under DBM Budget Circular No. 2017-2.
WAGE HIKE
Pangandaman said the DBM is expecting to receive by June the results of a study on the proposed hike in the salaries of government employees.
She said the DBM released P40 million for the conduct of the study, which aims to determine the right amount that should be given to government workers and the right scheme for its distribution.
“We have been very consistent po na gusto po natin magbigay ng increase ng salary para sa ating government workers… So, hopefully po nagbigay na po sila ng midterm report, hopefully by June we’ll have the final report (We have been very consistent that we want to increase the salary of government workers. So, the midterm report has been submitted, and hopefully by June, we’ll have the final report),” she said.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada has called for a new round of salary hikes for government personnel to be spread over four years.
Estrada has said the hike aims to convey the government’s gratitude for the employees’ selfless service and utmost dedication to their work, help retain the incumbent employees and attract applicants to public service.
