Leyte capitol employees receive additional bonus, await salary differential

By Provincial Media Relations Center
December 30, 2010

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Over 2,300 workers of the government of Leyte received additional bonuses amounting to P10,000 during the Christmas season as announced by Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla during the capitol Christmas Party held at the Capitol Grounds in December.

The bonus is on top of the salary differential on the 10% salary increase for calendar year 2010 which the governor gave a green light.

Announcement of the amount for the extra cash gift was the most awaited part during the Provincial Christmas Party for the more than 2,000 capitol employees.

Gov. Petilla said it was a hard battle between the government employees association and his office as to the final amount that should be given to the employees as additional bonus.

“It has been a long deliberation between the officers of PAGE as to how much really, can the province give, considering that we have already reached our salary cap for the year 2010,” Gov. Petilla said.

It was learned that expenses on personnel already reached the 45% cap from the total budget of the province.

Still, the governor added, his administration would find ways to come up for the additional bonus so that employees can still have money to spare during the Yuletide Season.

The salary differential that is being given covers only the 10% salary increase from January to December of 2010.  Salary increase for 2011 has yet to be decided upon, the governor said.

Job order workers likewise received P5,000 each, the same they got last year.

Though the announcement was applauded by the capitol employees who attended the party, the amount was far from the P22,500 the employees received last year.

As per the governor’s order, the additional bonus and salary differential is to be released before December 25. However, only the additional bonus was released before the appropriated date while the salary differential is waited upon to be received this January.

Meanwhile, the New Year brings good tidings to local government employees as they are set to receive hefty salary increases in 2011 per Local Budget Circular No. 9.

Local Budget Circular No. 95, which was released on June 29, 2010, provides the guidelines for the implementation of the second tranche monthly salary schedule specifically for local government personnel.

The salary increase for local government employees will take effect on January 1, 2011, six months later than those working for the national government.

The increases range from 75 percent for the poorest towns to a hefty 100 percent for the richest or a doubling of the salaries of all their employees. Consultants are not included in the increases.