By Arjay L. Balinbin

THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) has no definite date yet as to when it can release the performance-based bonuses (PBB) of schoolteachers, noting that the Department of Education (DepEd) has yet to finish some required paperwork for evaluation and processing of these payables.

“(I) think DepEd has yet to submit the prioritized list of beneficiaries,” Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said in a text message when sought for comment on Sunday, Feb. 4.

Asked whether DepEd has communicated with DBM on when it might submit the said documents, Mr. Diokno said: “DBM staff is constantly in touch with DepEd staff.”

In a media statement last Friday, Feb. 2, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, vice-chairman of the Senate education committee said “teachers have yet to receive their bonuses for schoolyear 2016-2017.”

Mr. Gatchalian said “the long delay in the release of these bonuses is absolutely unacceptable. Our grossly underpaid teachers rely on these bonuses to support their families and make ends meet.”

For his part, Mr. Diokno said he “attribute(s) the difficulty to the enormous size of the DepEd bureaucracy.”

“It has more than half a million officials and staff,” he added.

Mr. Gatchalian also pointed out that DepEd Undersecretary Jesus Lorenzo R. Mateo “blamed failed biddings and delayed processing of clearances.”

The budget secretary, in a press briefing last month said his department is not to blame for the delay in bonuses. “Hindi namin fault ’yon kasi (It’s not our fault, because) it goes through a process…nasa (it’s up to the concerned) agencies na ’yan. As far as I am concerned, hindi sa amin ’yun (it’s not ours)….’Yong (The) performance bonus naturally should be based on last year’s performance,” Mr. Diokno said then.

In a press statement last week, Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) National Chairperson Benjo Basas said: “Teachers are still waiting for this incentive which is mandated by law. And since this is funded for fiscal year 2016, we believe that there is no reason for the government to further delay its release.”

According to TDC, the PBB is an incentive under Executive Order No. 80 of 2012, as further reinforced through Executive Order No. 201.

The teachers’ group also said the “PBB could be a source of corruption, division, and dishonesty.”

“The amount(s) of the PBB from Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 to 2015 range from P5,000 to P35,000 based on their ‘performance,’ but teachers claim that DepEd has no clear-cut standard resulting in incentive disparity and demoralization among the teachers since it was first implemented in school year 2012-2013. For FY 2016, which falls (under) school year 2016-2017 for public schoolteachers, PBB amount was raised to minimum of 50% to 65% of the basic salary of teachers,” TDC said.

The group further noted the release of the PBB has been delayed since school year 2012-2013, but this is the first time the delay has reached the next fiscal year. “The PBB is supposedly given by the end of the year, but the DepEd uses school year as its rating period. Thus, the PBB for FY 2012 incentive was only released in August 2013, the same fate…for PBB of teachers (in) the succeeding years.”

Mr. Gatchalian, for his part, urged DepEd to “streamline their clearance processing mechanisms to ensure that no further delays will occur.”

“Ensuring that teachers are properly compensated for their hard work and dedication to the youth of this country is something that should be at the top of the government’s To Do list. Our teachers deserve better than this,” the senator added.

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