‘Why the delay in X’mas bonus for gov’t workers?’

AMID COMPLAINTS FROM GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES OVER THE DELAY IN THE GRANT OF THE P7,000 CHRISTMAS BONUS, SENATOR LOREN LEGARDA ON SUNDAY ASKED THE DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT TO EXPLAIN WHY IT WAITED UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO RELEASE THE PROMISED INCENTIVE.
“Government workers were promised the cash gift long before Christmas, yet the DBM seems to have other priorities as many of them had yet to receive the year-end bonus before Christmas Day, ” she said.

The delay, Loren said, contributed to low morale among government employees and kept them from enjoying the holidays with their families and loved ones.”

Loren lamented that while the bonuses were supposed to be released as early as the first week of December, the DBM failed to do so for one reason or another.

Many government workers, she said, were severely affected by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng and eagerly anticipated the year-end bonus so they could celebrate the Christmas holidays with their families.

“It is simply appalling that public school teachers and other state employees who work really hard throughout the year but earn barely enough for their own survival are not given priority in fund releases by Malacañang,” she added.

Loren urged the government to prioritize the well-being of government workers who, after all, make the bureaucracy run on a day-to-day basis.

She noted that DBM had given repeated assurances that funds were available for the cash gift, yet state workers were kept waiting until the start of the Christmas holidays before they could get their bonuses.