What bonuses will public school teachers get by year-end?

Jee Y. Geronimo

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What bonuses will public school teachers get by year-end?
A teacher with a basic salary of P19,077 can get P34,077 up to P64,077 in bonuses

MANILA, Philippines – Starting this month until the end of the year, public school teachers nationwide can expect the release of their bonuses, including the much-awaited performance-based bonus.

In a text message to Rappler on Wednesday, November 9, Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo enumerated the following bonuses for more than 700,000 public school teachers in the country:

  • Year-end bonus – equivalent to one month of salary
  • Cash gift – P5,000 ($102.29)*
  • Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI) – P5,000
  • Performance-based bonus (PBB) – ranging from P5,000 to P35,000 ($716.03)

The PEI is an across-the-board bonus equivalent to P5,000 or one month basic salary given to qualified government personnel of agencies that meet the conditions as stated in Executive Order (EO) 181 series of 2015.

The PBB, meanwhile, is a top-up bonus ranging from P5,000 to P35,000, depending on the teacher’s performance. It is granted to government personnel in line with their contribution to the department’s accomplishment of its overall targets and commitments.

By the end of the year, a teacher with a basic salary of P19,077 ($390.31), then, can get P34,077 ($697.31) up to P64,077 ($1,311.19) worth in bonuses.

The year-end bonus and the cash gift will be given this month, while the PEI and the PBB will be given before the year ends.

Unprecedented?

In a press statement on November 5, Teachers’ Dignity Coalition Chairperson Benjo Basas said this year’s bonus is an “unprecedented amount” that could be attributed to the increase in teachers’ basic salaries. 

But Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Philippines national chairperson Benjie Valbuena said his group does not consider the amount of these remaining benefits as unprecedented. 

“We have been receiving the said benefits ever since, save for the mid-year bonus which is equivalent to one month salary by virtue of EO 201 series of 2016,” he told Rappler in a text message. 

Asked to comment about the bonuses, Valbuena said these benefits “should have been made [a] wage hike instead.”

Doing so, he told Rappler, would result to the increase having an effect “on bonuses, other benefits, and retirement benefits.” 

ACT-Philippines has been calling for an entry-level teacher salary of P25,000 ($511.98). (READ: INFOGRAPHIC: How much are public school teachers getting?

In July, after announcing the start of “incremental” salary increases for the military, President Rodrigo Duterte said public school teachers would be up next.

After her speech at the Education Summit 2016 on November 3, Education Secretary Leonor Briones urged education stakeholders to pay more taxes in order to support the budget for the teachers’ bonuses.

“This will surprise the private sector: everybody in all of the teachers would get performance bonuses,” she said, answering a question from the crowd regarding the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers.

“We are serious about fulfilling the mandate of the Magna Carta,” Briones added. – Rappler.com

*US$1 = P48.88

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Jee Y. Geronimo

Jee is part of Rappler's Central Desk, handling most of the world, science, and environment stories on the site. She enjoys listening to podcasts and K-pop, watching Asian dramas, and running long distances. She hopes to visit Israel someday to retrace the steps of her Savior.