410,000 teachers set to get bonuses

MANILA, Philippines – Close to 410,000 public school teachers can expect to receive their performance-based bonus next week, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) said Tuesday.

Education assistant secretary Jesus Mateo said they submitted the requirements for the bonus of 145 of the 195 DepEd division offices to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last Friday.

“The DBM told us that in one week’s time, upon submission of the requirements, they would download the bonus to the regional or division offices,” Mateo told journalists.

There are about 540,000 public school teachers nationwide, according to Mateo. The requirements submitted by the 50 remaining DepEd division offices are still being validated.

Based on the DepEd Order No. 12 Series 2012 signed by Education Secretary Armin Luistro last Feb. 28, the bonus would be computed based on the schools’ performance and not on individual performance.

He said the performance category of school-based performance review and evaluation would determine the level of bonus that each employee would receive.

The three indicators are the National Achievement Test results, dropout rate, and the school’s liquidation of its maintenance, operating and other expenses.

Mateo said the bonus would range from P5,000 to P35,000. He said DepEd employees, both teaching and non-teaching personnel who received national awards last year such as those given by the Civil Service Commission, Metrobank Foundation and the National Literacy Awards, would receive P35,000.

Employees and officials found guilty last year for administrative and criminal cases, except when the penalty is reprimand, and those who received “below satisfactory” rating are disqualified from receiving the bonus. –Helen Flores, The Philippine Star