Early release of gov’t workers’ mid-year bonus pushed

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is pushing for the early release of government workers’ mid-year bonus.

Anakalusugan Partylist Rep. Mike Defensor said the mid-year bonus should be released on May 14, earlier than the usual release of the said incentive.

The early release of the incentive, Defensor said, “will be a big help to our more than one million workforces in the bureaucracy amid the pandemic, especially our healthcare and other frontliner workers.”

Under Republic Act No. 11466, state personnel, from the President down to the lowest-paid janitor or clerk, are entitled to a mid-year incentive equivalent to one-month salary, to be “given not earlier than May 15 of every year.”

“And since May 15 this year falls on a Saturday, I am appealing to our agencies to advance the payment of the bonus on Friday,” Defensor said in a statement.

Defensor said that under the law, personnel who have rendered service for at least four months as of May 15 are entitled to the mid-year bonus, ranging from P12,034 for the lowest-paid employee to P415,728 for the President.

Furthermore, the lawmaker said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should have already released the funds needed for the incentive.