DBM releases P11.6B for performance-based bonus of over 900K school-based workers

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Thursday it has released more than P11 billion to cover the budgetary requirement for the performance-based bonus (PBB) of over 900,000 personnel in various public elementary and secondary schools under the Department of Education (DepEd).

In a statement, the DBM said a total of P11.6 billion has been released for the Fiscal Year 2021 PBB of 920,073 school-based workers.

The basis for granting the FY 2021 PBB is DepEd’s accomplishments for FY 2021, according to the Budget Department.

“The Final Evaluation Assessment for the DepEd was released by the Administrative Order No. 25 Inter-Agency Task Force in January 2023, while the necessary documents for the purpose were submitted by the DepEd to the DBM from April to August 2023,” it said.

“This could be attributed to the strikingly high number of eligible personnel at around 900,000 employees in the DepEd, and the voluminous documents being submitted for the purpose,” it added, noting that the evaluation of documents “was facilitated and processed by the DBM immediately after.”

“The DBM stands with our nation’s educators and recognizes their extraordinary work. We are one with our teachers in the pursuit of the immediate release of their PBB,” said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

Citing records, the DBM said that, as of September 1, 2023, all 16 Regional Offices (ROs) of the Budget Department have released the corresponding Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) and Notice of Cash Allocations (NCAs) to the DepEd for the FY 2021 PBB of the school-based personnel.

The SAROs/NCAs have been issued after the DBM’s evaluation and validation of the required updated documents, which DepEd submitted from April to August 2023, the agency said,

Meanwhile, documentary requirements for the FY 2021 PBB of non-teaching personnel under the Schools Division Offices in eight ROs —National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions III, IV-A, VIII, XI, XII, and XIII— have been returned by DBM to DepEd for revalidation/revision.

“The documents were sent back due to varying concerns, such as duplicate entries, incorrect information on the months of service, and certain personnel not found in the DepEd’s Personnel Services Itemization and Plantilla of Personnel, among others,” the DBM said.

“Once received, revalidated, and approved by DBM, the documents will be endorsed to DBM ROs for processing of the SARO and NCA,” the agency said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News