TEACHERS, EMPLOYEES WAITING FOR THE PROMISED BONUS

STATEMENT 

June 4, 2015

TEACHERS, EMPLOYEES WAITING FOR THE PROMISED BONUS

Four days after the school opening, teachers and other government employees are still waiting for the supposed bonus to be given not earlier than June 1, 2015. The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said that the government has yet to implement the Executive Order 181 signed by Pres. Noynoy Aquino on May 15 of this year. The order provides that the amount of bonus or productivity enhancement incentive (PEI) for this year will be either P5, 000 or equivalent to one month salary and shall be released not earlier than June 1.

The group further said that the varying amount may cause division and comparison among the government employees because some of them may be receiving the minimum of P5,000 while others will be receiving an equivalent of one-month salary or a minimum of P9, 000, the amount paid to salary grade 1 position in government service (teachers’ entry-level salary is P18, 549 at salary grade 11). The TDC however said that a ‘one-month salary’ PEI would be better and even the least paid employees would get an amount closer to the P10, 000 provided by the government since year 2007. The PEI was cut to P5, 000 in year 2012 up to year 2014 and the government implemented another bonus, the performance-based bonus (PBB) which is based on the combined agency and individual performances. This PBB has been very controversial and criticized for being unfair, divisive and deceptive. The TDC and other groups staged a series of protests last year asking the government to junk the controversial PBB and instead grant a higher PEI for its teachers and employees.

The group said that the PEI, if given earlier would augment the teachers’ capacity especially during this time of the year that most of them are burdened by school opening expenses for their children and dependents and their own preparation for their respective classrooms, instructional materials and such other teaching necessities that the government fails to provide.