Gov’t has money for Christmas bonuses — Arroyo

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — President Arroyo assured government employees throughout the country yesterday that the government has enough money for their Christmas bonuses.

In an exclusive interview with The STAR, the President said ensuring the benefits of government workers is one of the reasons why her administration has been pursuing austerity measures.

"They will have their bonuses," the President said during her visit to her home province, where she also met with members of the Pampanga provincial board and the League of Vice Governors of Pampanga.

Last month, an official of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the bonuses of government employees may be withheld due to lack of funds.

Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin later denied this, stressing that by law, the government should give its employees their bonuses.

The DBM has estimated there are 1.5 million national government employees all over the Philippines, whose bonuses are derived from national funds. Local government employees’ bonuses are sourced from local funds.

After meeting with provincial board members and vice governors at Clark, Mrs. Arroyo proceeded to Bacolor town to join its observance of the feast for La Virgen Naval. This devotion to the Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary dates back to 1786, when the first Fiesta La Naval was celebrated in Bacolor.

Though the fiesta is actually on Nov. 21, Bacolor Mayor Buddy Dungca said they decided to commemorate it earlier since Mrs. Arroyo is expected to be abroad on that date to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leader’s Summit.

While in Bacolor, the President launched the electrification project for the barangays of Balas, Concepcion, Mesalipit and Talba, whose residents have returned after their homes were buried under lahar when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991.

She also led the groundbreaking for the Mesalipit-Talba bridge under her barangay bridge program. This bridge will link Bacolor to the neighboring town of Sto. Tomas.

Boncodin earlier announced that the government has released P9.3 billion to pay each government worker a year-end bonus and a Christmas cash gift of P5,000 by this Tuesday.

Half of the P5,000 was paid to government workers last June.

In a statement from Malacañang, the DBM said the P9.3 billion allocated for the bonus of government workers this year is higher than last year’s P9.1 billion.

The DBM said employees of local governments and government- owned and controlled corporations, and government financial institutions are authorized to pay the benefits of their employees from funds allocated in their budgets, the statement added.

All national government employees — whether permanent, temporary or casual, and contractual — will receive their bonus if they had been in service as of Oct. 31 and have rendered at least four months of service, the DBM said.