JVR: Approval of budget means bonus for workers

CEBU, Philippines -  Talisay City Mayor Johnny De los Reyes urges the City Council to approve as soon as possible the Supplemental Budget  2 that contains the Productivity Enhancement Incentives (PEI) of the City Hall employees which he aims to give out before December 15.

De los Reyes said that he has certified as urgent the P33-million proposed SB 2 when he submitted it to the City Council on December 3 so it could be tackled immediately. 

Of the total amount requested, close to P5 million is intended for the PEI.

In an interview with The Freeman, majority Floor Leader Richard Francis Aznar said the budget deliberation process has already been conducted. Aznar assures that employees will be compensated with the monthly honoraria.

Aznar said the council will be conducting within this week a special session to give way for the swift passage of the supplemental budget after the members will finish scrutinizing the items. 

The city has yet to determine though if job order workers will receive their bonus. 

City administrator John Yre De los Reyes told The Freeman that they will still ask for the opinion of the Commission on Audit if the city can grant bonuses or PEIs to job order personnel. 

Earlier, COA warned local government units not to grant cash gifts, yearend bonuses and productivity enhancement incentives to job order personnel as the disbursement of public funds for the said purposes are illegal.

De los Reyes cited Section 4 of the Budget Circular 2010 – 1 which enumerates the exclusions from the co-verage in the rules and regulations on the payment of cash gifts and yearend bonus the government personnel hired without employee-employer relationships and funded from non-personal services appropriations or budgets.

Also excluded from the cash bonuses are individuals or groups of people whose services are engaged through job orders, contracts of  services or other similarly situated.

Item 5 of the Civil Service Commission  Memorandum Circular No. No. 38, s. 1993, also states that, “contract of services and job orders are different from contractual appointment and plantilla  appointment of casual employees, respectively, which are required to be submitted to CSC for approval.”

Contracts of services and job orders cover lump sum work or services such as janitorial, security or consultancy services where no employer-employee relationship exists.

COA said the job order covers piece works or intermittent jobs of short durations not exceeding six months, on a daily basis.  (FREEMAN)