DepEd personnel to get P3K anniversary bonus

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said on Friday that all teaching and nonteaching personnel will receive a PHP3,000 bonus in celebration of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) anniversary on December 20.

“That will cost us, PHP3,000 lang (only), but considering the huge army we have in DepEd, that will already be PHP2.8 billion,” she said in a press conference at the DepEd central office.

Briones said the department has 800,000 teachers and staff, thus, cascading the order to all personnel would take time.

On Nov. 6, the department released DepEd Order No. 47 series of 2018 or the Guidelines on the Grant of Anniversary Bonus which provides that all full time or part time employees, whose employment is regular and have rendered at least one year of service by June 23, are eligible to receive the bonus.

Former president Fidel Ramos identified June 23, 1898 as DepEd’s founding date through an administrative order despite National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ announcement of December 20, 1863 as the establishment of a modern public education system in the country via Royal Decree by Queen Isabella II of Spain.

Employees who have not served for a year on the milestone date, in absence without leave, or found guilty of any offense during the five-year interval between milestone years cannot receive the bonus. Consultants and employees who fall under job orders and contracts of service are not eligible to receive the bonus. The turnover of the UH1H "Huey" spare parts and maintenance equipment donation from Japan is tentatively scheduled in the first quarter of 2019.

This was disclosed by Department of National Defense (DND) spokesperson Arsenio Andolong in a statement over the weekend.

"Following the Exchange of Notes, the DND and the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) will coordinate and finalize the details and schedule of the transfer. The actual turnover of the first batch of spare parts and equipment is tentatively scheduled in the first quarter of next year," Andolong said.

Andolong said these spare parts and equipment will be used for the Philippine Air Force’s current compliment of UH-1H helicopters being used for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, transport, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

The PAF is known to operate between 20 to 40 types of the "Huey" helicopter.

Meanwhile, Japan and the Philippines on Nov. 7 signed exchange of notes for two Official Development Assistance projects geared towards rehabilitating the Metro Rail Transit