THE City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance granting performance recognition and productivity enhancement incentives to all Baguio City government officials and employees.
Authored by Vice Mayor Edison Bilog, the ordinance stated based on Section 6 of Executive Order No. 201, series of 2016, beginning 2016, the productivity enhancement incentive shall be given not earlier than December 15 of every year to all qualified government employees at P5,000 each for the purpose of improving the government employees productivity.
Budget Circular 2016-18 dated December 12 prescribed the rules and regulations on the grant of the productivity enhancement incentives to government personnel for this year pursuant to EO 201.
Under 4.0 of the DBM Circular, the ordinance added the productivity enhancement incentive shall be given to personnel not later than December 15 of the current year subject to the conditions that the employees are still in the service as of November 30 and the employees have rendered at least an aggregate of four months of at least satisfactory service as of November 30, 2016, including absence without pay.
The ordinance claimed the grant of the incentive will be subject to existing rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit (COA), the Department of Budget and Management and other authorities in so far as they pertain to the primacy of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines with respect to local government units; and the power of the President of general supervision over all local government units.
The ordinance added there had been a notable increase in the economic activities of people in the city during the first three quarters of this year, which increase can be amply measured through the increase in revenue collections by the local government, thus, the increase in the collections can largely be attributed to the 2016 Flower Festival, summer vacation in Baguio and the city’s Charter month activities not to mention other tourist enticing activities led by the private sectors with the indispensable cooperation and participation of the local government and its invaluable human resources.
While the local government and its constituents are enjoying the fruits of the labor of its employees and officialdom, the local legislative body is aware of the difficulties that they are now undergoing in terms of addressing basic family needs, damages wrought by the previous typhoons, health concerns of their respective families and the high cost of education of their children among others.
The ordinance added the local government provides additional support for its employees in terms of cash incentives for them to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently but the human resource or personnel not only in the city but as well as in the barangays is of paramount importance in the agenda of good governance since the council is the lead agent for change.
The proposal was referred to the Committee on Ethics and Governmental Affairs and Personnel for study and recommendation. (Dexter See/PIO)