P20,000 SRI for DepEd personnel out on December 20

MANILA, Philippines — Public school teachers will start receiving their P20,000 service recognition incentive (SRI) starting Dec. 20, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced yesterday.

In a statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara noted that this is the first time that the DepEd can give the full P20,000 SRI for teaching and non-teaching personnel. In previous years, they only received a fraction of the full amount due to budget constraints.

“This is a historic moment for the DepEd, as we are able to grant the highest SRI ever for our workforce. We are deeply grateful to President Marcos Jr. for his steadfast support in prioritizing the welfare of teachers and staff who serve as the backbone of the education sector,” Angara said.

Due to the lack of stored funds in its savings, from where the DepEd can draw funds for the SRI, the agency had been distributing less than the P20,000 SRI that Marcos had been approving for government workers.

Last year, DepEd personnel received P18,000 while in 2022, they got P15,000.

Angara said that following Marcos’ order to ensure that public school teachers and non-teaching personnel would receive the full amount, the DepEd worked with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to channel funding into the SRI.

“We also thank DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman for working with us to provide this incentive to our personnel. It is a testament to how much we value the dedication and sacrifices of our education frontliners, especially as they continue to ensure learning excellence amid all challenges,” he said.

Following the release of a DBM Circular and a DepEd Memorandum on the 2024 SRI, the funding of the SRI will be downloaded to regional offices on Dec. 20 for immediate disbursement, according to Angara.