THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) has included the streamlining of government processes among the targets for the granting of performance-based bonuses (PBB) to government employees.
The DBM has released the guidelines for the grant of PBBs through Memorandum Circular 1-2018 signed by Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno on May 28.
The memorandum said it is responding to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s directive that government offices should “quickly respond and yield meaningful results in streamlining processes,” to provide “high quality and genuine public service that Filipinos deserve without delay and bureaucratic red tape.”
Hence, the memorandum has included in the eligibility criteria the “streamlining and process improvement of the agency’s critical services,” which was not included in last year’s guidelines.
The new criteria would now consider the least the number of steps, signatures, and documents required to complete a process, least transaction and compliance costs, the least waiting and processing time, as well as client satisfaction.
The measure covers government-to-citizens, government-to-businesses, and government-to-government transactions.
This would be on top of other performance indicators such as the QMS ISO Certification, budget utilization rates, compliance with audit findings, compliance with the quarterly submission of budget and financial accountability reports, submission of the annual procurement plan, early procurement of goods and services, and compliance with the Freedom of Information program, among others.
For state-run firms, indicators would also include the maintenance or upgrading of their Transparency Seals containing key agency information, updating of information with electronic procurement system, as well as maintenance or upgrading of the Citizen Charter containing service standards.
If an agency is eligible for PBB, the incentive shall be equivalent to 65% of employees’ monthly basic salary as of Dec. 31, 2018.
The agencies’ performance shall be validated starting this year, and if eligible, the PBB will be disbursed in 2019.
An official or employee who rendered less than nine months but a minimum of three months of service and with at least a “Satisfactory” rating shall be eligible for the grant of PBB on a pro-rata basis corresponding to the actual length of service rendered.
The memorandum circular covers all government departments, bureaus, offices, Constitutional Commissions, Congress, the Judiciary, the Office of the Ombudsman, state universities and colleges, state-run firms, local water districts, and local government units.
Noncompliance of the indicators will render government agencies and government-owned and -controlled coporations ineligible for the PBB. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
