DepEd has yet to give teachers bonuses

FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Education  failed to meet its self-imposed target this month of giving the country’s more than half a million public school teachers their bonuses remaining from last year.

A senior official explained DepEd has not yet completed its performance evaluation report to be submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) because a few hundred schools have still not submitted their performance reports.

DepEd is also being made to justify why its nearly 600,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel are entitled to receive the so-called performance-based bonus which ranges from P5,000 to P35,000.

DepEd has to show that it has complied with the performance targets set by Malacañang for all government agencies to be entitled to the bonus.

Last December, government employees did not receive their full P10,000 year-end bonus that is traditionally given across the board to augment their Christmas bonus.

The DBM instead released only P5,000 as “enhancement incentive,” with the promise of a separate performance-based bonus.

The DBM said the PBB would range from P5,000 for good performing employees in a good performing agency, up to P35,000 for the best performing employees in the best performing agencies.

“The evaluation is ongoing considering the size of the (DepEd) bureaucracy,” Assistant Secretary for planning Jesus Mateo said Friday when asked about the delay in the bonus.

“We have received more than 90 per cent of school submission but this has to be validated. We do not want to leave behind those who have not yet submitted their report,” he added.

The DepEd earlier announced it would distribute the bonuses before the start of classes this month based on the guidelines that Secretary  Armin Luistro issued last February 28.

According to the guidelines, the teachers’ bonuses will be computed based on a school’s performance and not on individual performance. A school’s performance will be measured by three indicators: the National Achievement Test  results, the dropout rate, and the school’s liquidation of its maintenance, operating and other expenses.