BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental assured its employees of additional bonus in December.
Provincial administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ordered not to give the Incentive Benefit for Exemplary Services (IBES) after it was disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA).
IBES was supposed to be given as part of the additional bonus. Each capitol employee received P25,000 last year.
“Until those disallowances are resolved at the Supreme Court, we will only give an extra or additional bonus based on the guidelines set by Malacañang through the Department of Budget and Management and COA,” Diaz explained.
Lacson has already been ordered to find other means to give employees extra bonus without repeatedly receiving disallowances from COA.
“The employees’ bonuses are already programmed by the governor,” Diaz said.
The exact amount of the bonuses that would be received by the capitol employees for this year has yet to be announced, and it is expected that the formal announcement would be made during the capitol employees’ Christmas party in December.
Last year, each capitol employee received a total of P65,000 in bonuses.
Diaz has also assured that all casual and job order workers presently employed by the provincial government will stay as the budget has already been allocated for them./PN
