Just like other government employees, personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) are also scheduled to receive their mid-year bonus starting Saturday, May 15.
“Per law, we are allowed to process and release our mid-year bonus,” said Education Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla during a virtual regional press conference on May 14.
“For DepEd alone, that is P26.2 billion,” Sevilla said. It will be an average of P26,200 (or one month salary) if divided by one million personnel, she added.
Aside from the mid-year bonus, Sevilla also mentioned the clothing allowance which was released last month.
“I hope all the employees have already received the P6,000 clothing allowance because we allowed the processing and release on April 5,” she explained in a mix of English and Filipino.
The clothing allowance for DepEd personnel, Sevilla said, has a total budget P5.56 billion.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Sevilla explained, “approved the flexibility and leniency” on the clothing allowance. “Teachers can use this for personal needs or teaching needs,” she added.
Sevilla said that teachers are allowed to use their old uniforms but for the next school year, they need to use the new designs. “This is what we consider the transition period,” she added.
In April, DepEd guaranteed the teaching and non-teaching employees that they will receive their clothing allowance for School Year (SY) 2021-2022 not earlier than the first working day of April of the current year.
This move, DepEd said, is as part of its commitment to prioritize the needs of its employees.
In consideration with the current crisis and the continuing implementation of the blended learning delivery and alternative working arrangements, Sevilla said that the SY 2021-2022 shall be considered a “transition period.”
Sevilla added that this aims to provide ample time for employees to prepare for the new set of prescribed uniforms. DepEd, she added, “will be lenient to personnel who will still opt to use the old uniform design.”