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
September 18 –
International Equal Pay Day
“Increase wages now,
more than other cost items.
For widespread, practical equality!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the recommendations of the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry
against serious violations of protocols of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association.
Accept the National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
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October –
Monthly Observances:
Industry and Commerce Safety Month
National Statistics Month
Local Government Month
Consumer Welfare Month
Cooperative Month
National Quality and Productivity Improvement Month
National Health and Wellness Tourism Month
National Indigenous Peoples Month
Weekly Observances:
Week 1: Elderly Filipino Week
Week 2: National Health Education Week
Local Government Week
National Mental Health Week
October 17-23:
National Week for Overcoming Extreme Poverty
October 18 – 24:
United Nations Week
Last Week:
Nurses’ Week
Consumers’ Protection Week
Week of the 4th Sunday:
Barrio Farmers’ Week
Daily Observances:
First Monday (Oct 4): Universal Children’s Day i
n the Philippines
Oct 5: National Teachers’ Day
Oct 10: Local Government Day
Third Thursday (Oct 14): Conflict Resolution Day
Oct 21: Tenants’ Emancipation day
Oct 24: United Nations Day
Oct 29: National Indigenous People’s Thanksgiving Day
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