Govt employees receive half of year-end bonus

Government employees should have received half of their year-end bonus for the year by Tuesday, the Department of Budget and Management said. DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said the May 15 date is in accordance with Budget Circular 2010-1 on the provision of year-end bonuses and cash gifts. “All government workers should have received half of their 13th month bonus and cash gift by May 15. This covers all agency and civilian employees, military and uniformed personnel, and all barangay officials and employees,” Abad said. Under the 2012 budget, P20.6 billion has been allotted for the bonuses and incentives of all government department and agencies. The DBM had released the amount on the first working day of the year, together with other budgetary items under the departments’ respective Agency Budget Matrices (ABMs). Abad added the circular also covers officials and employees of state universities and colleges (SUCs), government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs), and local government units (LGUs). He said the year-end bonus, half of which is distributed before June, is equivalent to a month’s basic pay. Besides this, government employees will also receive 50 percent of the prescribed annual cash gift, set at P5,000 per employee. However, Abad clarified only employees who have rendered at least four months of service from January 1 to April 30 of this year will receive a midyear bonus. The remaining balance will be distributed to all employees by year end, but no earlier than November 15, 2012. Abad also said funding for the midyear perks and cash gifts of agency and SUC employees will be charged against agency appropriations as indicated in the 2012 GAA. Meanwhile, bonuses for GOCC and GFI employees will be charged against their corporate funds, and LGU worker benefits will be culled from their respective local government funds. — LBG, GMA News