Nearly 32,000 indigent people, persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, public school teachers and qualified city employees will receive cash gifts or bonuses from the city government as part of the “Pamaskong Handog” program this month.
City Information Officer Dems Rey Demecillo on Saturday said Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo has announced that an additional amount of P10.3 million will be sourced out from the savings of the Personal Services department for the program.
The City has identified 1,017 public school teachers, 950 qualified City employees and some 30,000 indigents, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens as beneficiaries.
Demecillo said this is so far the biggest number of recipients of the Christmas aid program.
Public school teachers from the City Schools Division will each get a P2,500 bonus in recognition of their hard work and dedication to service, while the poor, elderly and PWDs will be given P500 each as cash gift.
On the other hand, qualified employees of the City government each received P6,000 as Service Recognition Incentive by Dec. 20.
Administrative Order No. 19 issued by the Office of the President provides that a local government unit can grant a maximum amount of P10,000 per qualified employee as SRI.
However, Remollo said he deemed it proper to appropriate P6,000 instead of the maximum amount per employee so that public school teachers and more indigent families, PWDs and senior citizens could also be granted the Pamaskong Handog this year.
Under the same Administrative Order of the President, specifically Section 3, stated that Job Order, contract of service, and pakyaw (per project) workers are not entitled to receive bonuses, Demecillo said.
“Hence, there is no basis in the law to grant JOs with bonuses even if the City government would like to give them,” he added. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
