DBM tells teachers: Release of performance-based bonus to proceed

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has assured public school teachers that the release of their performance-based bonus (PBB) for 2022 and 2023 will proceed despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to review the incentive schemes.

The DBM announced it after the agency convened with the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition regarding concerns about salary increases and incentive schemes for teachers.

DBM’s Organization, Position and Classification, and Compensation Bureau Director Gerald Janda said they are coordinating with the Department of Education (DepEd) to address issues related to the implementation of the PBB and the swift processing of the PBB for 2022.

Marcos issued Executive Order No. 61, suspending the implementation of the Results-Based Performance Management System (RBPMS) and the Performance-Based Incentive (PBI) System, and ordering the review of these schemes to streamline the process. The PBB is included in the PBI.

READ: Teachers protest DepEd’s implementation of suspended RBPMS

Teachers earlier slammed the DepEd for implementing the RBPMS despite its suspension. They said school divisions obliged them to submit non-mandated forms. They also said the PBI imposes unnecessary burdens on teachers and “fostered inequity and unhealthy competition.”

“We must understand that the sheer size and complex structure of DepEd inherently complicates the process,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.

She added that the DBM “will endeavor to streamline [the] process.”

READ: Gov’t gears for SC suit vs 2024 budget

The DBM also announced a salary adjustment increase under the General Appropriations Act for 2024. The agency said it will also conduct a study “to create a competitive, sustainable, [and] fair pay structure for government employees.”

Teachers’ Dignity Coalition chairperson Benjo Basas said their group is thankful to the DBM for allowing them to voice their concerns.