Dagupan SP approves milestone anniversary bonus for employees

DAGUPAN CITY – A total of 456 of the 562 regular city hall officials and employees here are about to receive an anniversary bonus of Php7,000 each after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on April 30 a Supplemental Budget of P65.3 million  which includes an appropriation granting the financial bonanza  to qualified city government workers.

Administrative Order (AO) No. 316, series of 1997, implemented by Local Budget Circular No. 65, series of 1997, extends the grant of the milestone Anniversary Bonus as authorized under AO No. 263, series of 1996 to qualified officials and employees in the local government units (LGUs) in an amount not exceeding Php3,000 to each employee who has rendered at least one (1) year of service as of the date of the milestone year.

The same is authorized under Senate-House of Representatives Joint Resolution No. 4, series of 2009 as a one-time incentive to employees to recognize their participative efforts in and contributions to their agencies’ continuing and/or viable existence.

A milestone year refers to the 15^th Anniversary of the LGU and every 5^th year thereafter. Thus, a qualified employee may receive Anniversary Bonus only once every five (5) years and only in such milestone years. 

City Budget Officer Luz De Guzman disclosed that the employees would have received their Anniversary Bonus on June 20, 2012 during the 65^th anniversary of Dagupan cityhood.

However, such monetary benefit to the workers was not given for a still unknown reason.

De Guzman made it clear that the failure of the past administration to grant the same would have cost the city hall employees the chance to receive what is due them and would probably enjoy the next one only in 2017.

 “We are thankful that the President granted our request as an exemption to AO No. 263 and this is because of the effort of Mayor Belen T. Fernandez for the approval of the same including the representation she made as to the accomplishments and viability of the City Government of Dagupan, the hard work of its officials and employees, and the fact that the Anniversary Bonus has not been granted to us since 1997 that led  to the approval of Php7,000,  instead of the regular Php3, 000,” De Guzman said. (CIO)