An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) said that the agency has a “high probability” for eligibility in the 2019 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB).
DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla, in a Facebook post, gave an update on the 2019 PBB amid queries coming from both teaching and non-teaching personnel of the agency.
On the PBB for 2019, Sevilla explained that the evaluation of the eligibility of DepEd is “still ongoing” by the AO25 Task Force.
“Per latest update we got, there is (a) high probability that DepEd will be eligible (for) the PBB 2019,” she said. “We are hoping that all – including the non-teaching positions – will be eligible for the grant,” she added.
Sevilla said that “once there is announcement” from AO25 TF that DepEd is eligible for the PBB 2019, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will “release the PBB fund to each corresponding DepEd regional office” that has complete and validated PBB documents.
“The fund and release of PBB shall not anymore pass through DepEd CO (Central Office), it will go straight to our DepEd ROs (Regional Offices) for processing and release,” Sevilla added.
The PBB is “a top-up incentive given to personnel of bureaus or delivery units in accordance to their contribution to the accomplishment of their department’s overall targets and commitments.”
The AO25 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) “sets specific conditions and reviews the agency’s accomplishments within a fiscal year to determine the eligibility of the department and its personnel” to receive PBB.
Sevilla said that the PBB is not an “automatic benefit” because its granting is based on validation and qualification of the department’s performance for the past year.
Teachers’ groups such as the Teacher’s Dignity Coalition (TDC) and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) have been opposing the implementation of the PBB for “being highly exploitative” and could be a “source of corruption, division, and dishonesty.”
Despite criticisms, DepEd assured that concerned officials and units continue to find ways to ensure that the benefits due to both teaching and non-teaching employees will be granted as soon as possible.