Amid growing frustration and dismay, teachers and education workers on Wednesday, April 30, called on the government to immediately release the long-overdue 2023 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB).

Members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers–National Capital Region Union (ACT-NCR Union) decried the delay as infuriating and demoralizing for those who have continued to serve in the public education sector despite numerous challenges.

“Nakakagalit at nakakadismaya na kaming mga guro at education support personnel, na nagsakripisyo at nagpakahirap sa eskwela sa gitna ng napakaraming hamon, ay mawawalan ng PBB 2023 dahil sa kapalpakan ng pamunuan ng DepEd (It is infuriating and disheartening that we, the teachers and education support personnel, who sacrificed and worked hard in schools amidst numerous challenges, will lose the PBB 2023 due to the incompetence of the DepEd leadership),” said ACT-NCR Union President Ruby Bernardo.

The group called on the Departments of Budget and Management (DBM) and Education (DepEd) to take immediate action to appeal the "Not Eligible" rating issued by the AO25 Inter-Agency Task Force (AO25 IATF) and ensure the release of the FY 2023 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) to teachers and education support personnel before the opening of the next school year.

“This is a clear injustice to thousands of hardworking education personnel who have fulfilled their duties with dedication, often without sufficient support from the agency,” Bernardo said.

Not eligible

Citing the AO25 IATF scorecard, the group noted that the DepEd Office of the Secretary (DepEd-OSec) “failed to meet” critical accountability requirements—including compliance with PhilGEPS posting, FY 2023 APP Non-CSE, and early procurement activities—resulting in the agency’s disqualification from the incentive.

Bernardo also pointed to the 2023 Annual Audit Report by the Commission on Audit (COA), which reflects the poor performance of the agency in meeting crucial education targets.

“The COA report itself exposes the incompetence of DepEd’s former leadership,” Bernardo said. “Zero accomplishment in procuring ICT equipment, only 3% of targeted classrooms constructed, no delivery of any of the 500,000 planned school seats, and just 3 out of 88 Last Mile Schools completed—this is gross negligence at the highest levels,” she added.

Vice President Sara Duterte served as the Secretary of the DepEd for two years, from 2022 to 2024. She resigned on June 19, 2024, citing a combination of personal and professional reasons. She was succeeded by former Senator Sonny Angara.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/19/why-did-sara-duterte-resign-as-dep-ed-secretary

Bernardo emphasized that rank-and-file education workers “must not bear the brunt of these leadership failures.”

The union is urging the AO25 IATF and DepEd to “exhaust all means” to appeal the disqualification and ensure that the 2023 PBB is granted to teachers and education personnel without delay.

Call for overhaul

Meanwhile, the ACT-NCR Union also reiterated its call to overhaul the current performance evaluation and incentive system for government employees.

Bernardo noted that the PBB system, as it stands, is “flawed, deceptive, divisive, and discriminatory” because it “penalizes teachers for administrative lapses beyond their control and imposes unrealistic standards while failing to provide the necessary resources to meet them.”

“What we need is a just and rational system that recognizes the value of education workers and guarantees them fair compensation and incentives for their vital contribution to national development,” Bernardo said.

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