Government Employees' Mid-Year Bonus to be Given Not Earlier Than May 15

Just like private sector workers, government employees also receive incentives for the service they provide. This is called the mid-year bonus and is given to government employees in the middle of the year.

As per the 5th Section of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Budget Circular No. 2017-2 or also known as the "Rules and Regulations on the Grant of the mid-year bonus for fiscal year (fy) 2017 and years thereafter." 

DBM made an announcement that this year, government employees' mid-year bonus will be given not earlier than the 15th of May.

What is the mid-year bonus?

For those who are not aware, the mid-year bonus is a bonus or an incentive that is equal to the one (1) month basic pay. This incentive, in accordance to the circular, shall be given to personnel who are entitled not earlier than May 15, 2019 of the current year.

The guidelines for the grant of the mid-year bonus are subject to these conditions:

1. The personnel remains to be in the government service as of the 15th of May 2019;
2. If the personnel has rendered at least a total or an aggregate of four (4) months of service from the 1st of July of the immediately preceding year to the 15th of May of the current year; and
3. If the personnel was able to obtain a satisfactory performance (at least) rating in the immediately preceding rating period. Or the applicable performance appraisal period. In the event that there's a need for a shorter period, the date shall be ninety (90) calendar days or three (3) months at least, provided that the aggregate service under item 5.1.1 hereof is complied with.

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The monthly basic pay is the monthly salary which is received by civilian personnel (including contractual personnel). This is the total daily wages for the twenty-two (22) working days in one (1) month for a casual personnel; equal to the monthly salary of a regular personnel; the monthly base pay for both uniformed and military personnel; and the monthly honoraria for barangay employees and officials.

Who are given the mid-year bonus?

As per the Budget Circular, the mid-year bonus is going to be given to the following:

1. Local Government Unit (LGU) Heads;
2. Department Heads; Heads of Agencies, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and other National Government Offices (including commissions and offices under the Constitutional Fiscal autonomy Group (CFAG)).
3. Heads of Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCS); and
4. All others who are concerned.

Positions

All civilian personnel positions whether contractual, casual in nature, regular, elective, appointive, part-time or full-time, now existing or hereafter made in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, the Consitutional Commissions, GOCCs, SUCs, and other Constitutional Offices covered by the Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS) under Republic Act No. 6758, as amended by the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Resolutions No. 1, series of 1994, and No. 4, series of 2009; and in LGUS.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) military personnel under the Department of National Defense and Philippine National Police's (PNP) uniformed personnel, the Philippine Public Safety College, the Bureau of Jail Management, Bureau of Fire Protection, Penology of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NMRIA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Who are not entitled to the mid-year bonus?

If we are to take this from the newest circular, personnel who rendered a total or an aggregate of less than four (4) months of service from the previous year's 1st of July of the current year's May 15th.

Also, personnel who are not anymore part of the government service as of the latter date also are not eligible to get the mid-year bonus.

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Guidelines on the mid-year bonus

You might have some questions on how these work. Here are some of the guidelines revolving the idea of government employees' mid-year bonus:

• Personnel who were hired as part-time workers in one or more agencies will have direct proportions to the number of days and/or hours of the service rendered.
• Those, however, who were on detail to another government agency shall be paid by the patent agency with their mid-year bonus. Those who are on secondment shall be paid by the recipient agency.
• The mid-year bonus of those who were transferred from one (1) agency to another shall be paid by the newer/newest agency.
• Lastly, a compulsory retiree, or those who had their services extended, have the chance to be granted a mid-year bonus subject to the appropriate regulations of the current Circular.

Personnel who were formally charged criminal and/or administrative cases which are currently pending for resolution, shall be entitled to a mid-year bonus until found guilty by executory and final judgment in the following conditions:

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• If the penalty imposed is only a reprimand, the personnel concerned shall be entitled to a mid-year bonus; and
• Personnel who are found guilty shall not be entitled to a mid-year bonus in the year of the finality of the decision. They shall refund the mid-year bonus received for the particular year.

It's good to know how government employees' mid-year bonus is given and what it actually contains. This is for employees and officials to be able to determine whether or not they are being given the correct amount.