By Mae Singuay

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has approved a budget of more than P50 million for additional bonus and gratuity pay for the city hall employees.

Councilor Thaddeus Sayson said the SP approved the appropriation following the issuance of the Administrative Order (AO) 12 and 13, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. which provides a one-time service recognition incentive (SRI) amounting to P20,000 for regular employees, while non-regular workers will get gratuity pay.

A P27.5 million fund is allocated for the non-regular employees.

Based on AO 12, workers in the Executive branch will receive SRI of not more than P20,000 each.

Meanwhile, for the gratuity pay, AO 13 said, “Local government units are encouraged to adopt in their respective offices the grant of gratuity pay to workers whose services are engaged through contract of service [COS] and job order [JO], utilizing appropriate and available funding sources from their respective local government funds.”

“The corresponding supplemental budget for the purpose shall be enacted by the local sangguniang concerned chargeable against the available Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations or surplus,” it added.

The payment of gratuity pay to qualified COS and JO workers will not be made before December 16./MS, WDJ