FORMER senator Ralph Recto asked Malacañang on Thursday to increase the Christmas bonus of more than a million national government employees and release the additional benefit before the end of the year.
In a statement, Recto recommended that “Malacañang should now announce if it will give an additional Christmas bonus this year in order to end the suspense and put a stop to speculations.”
He urged Palace officials to “refrain from announcing more bad news” for government employees. “Yes, the government is in a fiscal bind but it shouldn’t cancel the granting of Christmas bonus on top of the regular year-end benefits of one month pay and cash gift of P5,000.”
Recto, who recently resigned as director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), added that the total year-end bonuses, including Social Security System and Government Service Insurance System pensioners, of civilian government personnel this year will reach P17.1 billion.
He noted that allocation for military servicemen and women was pegged at P4.9 billion. Last year Recto recalled that the government granted P10,000 as additional Christmas bonus, of which P7,000 was released by the national government and the remaining P3,000 came from agency savings.
“This year with the anemic revenue collections, it appears that this additional Christmas bonus will be scuttled,” he said. “My position is that regardless of the amount, the government should grant additional incentives without further bloating the deficit or breaking the bank.”
According to Recto, government employees could be looking forward to additional bonuses this month, especially those affected by the recent onslaught of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. “A reduced rate is better than none at all. Wag lang zero. The President can either be Mrs. Claus or Mrs. Scrooge,” he said.
Recto clarified that these benefits are for national government employees only, as local government employees’ benefits are subject to local funds while those of government-owned and -controlled corporations can be drawn from their corporate budgets. –Butch Fernandez / Reporter, Businessmirror
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
“Safety and health at work every day!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations against serious violations of Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government
(NUG) of Myanmar.
Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
March – Women’s Role in History Month
April – Month of Planet Earth
Weekly Observances:
Last Week of March: Protection and Gender Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week
Last Week of April – World Immunization Week
Daily Observances:
Mar 25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transallantic Slave Trade
Mar 27– Earth Hour
Apr 21 – Civil Service Day
Apr 22 – World Earth Day
Apr 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
