DepEd to release P18K incentives for teachers starting Dec. 19

The Department of Education (DepEd) will be distributing P18,000 worth of Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) to qualified public school teachers and other personnel starting Tuesday, December 19. 

In a memorandum dated December 15, DepEd said schools division offices and other implementing units shall begin the processing of the payments on Monday, December 18, and its distribution in cash the next day.

DepEd said teachers in far-flung areas could be given an exception on the cash-only mode of SRI distribution upon their written request. 

Their SRIs may thus be given through their payroll ATMs, the department said. 

“All offices concerned with the processing and releasing the SRI are expected to expedite the payment subject to usual budget, accounting, and auditing rules,” the memorandum read.  

It was signed by DepEd Undersecretary Michael Poa and DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas in compliance with Administrative Order No. 12 or the “Authorizing the Grant of Service Recognition Incentive to Government Employees for fiscal Year 2023,” as promulgated by the Office of the President. 

‘Lacking amount’

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), meanwhile, called on DepEd to release the whole P20,000 SRI for teachers and personnel and not only the committed P18,000.

“This is again below the allowable amount of 20,000. This is happening over the past years already. Among all government agencies, only the DepEd is doing this. Teachers are once again deprived of having their deserved benefits on top of still being underpaid,” ACT national chairperson Vladimer Quetua said in a statement. 

Quetua stressed that the national government should ensure that teachers and DepEd personnel will be able to get their benefits in full and on time. 

“If DepEd fund are not enough to give every teacher a full 20k SRI, they should request DBM to fill the lacking amount as done in 2021. We demand the government to allocate more funding in order to give the full 20k that teachers deserve,” he added. —Giselle Ombay/KBK, GMA Integrated News