COA reviewing P28.8-M bonuses for PSALM employees

The Commission on Audit C A is reviewing the P . million in bonuses supposedly for e emplary performance that all employees of the Power Sector Assets and iabilities anagement Corp. PSA received from to .

In a report, state auditors said the granting of the bonuses to all PSA employees was part of the firm’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service E cellence PRAISE .

C A said under the Civil Service Commission CSC rules, only employees with proven outstanding performance should have received the bonus.

he C A said the release of funds for the program has been suspended pending review.

“PRAISE is being defined as a system designed to encourage creativity, innovativeness, efficiency, integrity and productivity in the public service by recognizing and rewarding officials and employees, individually or in groups for their suggestions, inventions, superior accomplishments and other personal efforts which contribute to the efficiency, economy or other improvement in the government operations, or for other e traordinary acts or services in the public interest, C A said, citing a PSA circular.

“It is very clear from the afore uoted circular that PRAISE award is given only to individuals or group of individuals in recognition of the suggestions, inventions, innovations and other personal efforts which contribute to the improvement of government operations, the C A report said.

State auditors have also directed the PSA to submit a list of personnel “who have direct participation in the achieve-ment accomplishment of activities that have made them deserving of the per s.

he bonuses amounted to P . million in , P . million in , P million in and P . million in and in .

PSA , created in under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act EPIRA , is primarily tas ed to manage the orderly sale, disposition and

privatization of the National Power Corp’s assets.