RECENTLY, Undersecretary for Finance, Budget and Performance Monitoring Annalyn M. Sevilla through her official Facebook page gave details on various benefits still to be received by Department of Education (DepEd) teachers and non-teaching personnel.
SSL 5 (salary increase). Undersecretary Sevilla provided the details of the approved salary increase particularly on fund source and implementation for the information of all teachers and non-teaching personnel of DepEd.
Sevilla revealed that the Salary Standardization Law 5 (SSL-5) funds will be released to DepEd via the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund (MPBF) from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). She said that DepEd is waiting for the release of the SSL-5 implementing guidelines from DBM and the necessary funding cover before the adjustment of the salary of employees.
Since SSL-5 is effective January 2020, DepEd finance offices will compute and release salary differential starting January 2020 up to period when funding is available at DepEd level. The salary pay slip will also will also be adjusted upon release of the Notice of Salary Adjustment (NOSA)
Remaining SRI benefit. On the other hand, Usec. Sevilla also assured that qualified personnel – both teaching and non-teaching – will still receive the remaining of their Service Recognition Incentive (SRI).
She said that the remaining balance of SRI will be uniform in amount for all DepEd employees. The process is taking some time because the DepEd wants to ensure all DepEd personnel will be given the same amount (DepEd is aiming for Php 3,000.00 for all) and will provide the funding for all schools, divisions and regions including the Central Office (CO).
It can be remembered that in December, qualified employees of the DepEd received P7,000 after the Office of the President issued Administrative Order No. 19, series of 2019 which authorizes the grant of SRI at a “uniform amount” not exceeding P10,000 for each government employee for Fiscal Year 2019.
Sevilla assured the DepEd employees that they will still receive the remaining SRIs even if their school, division or region doesn’t have the sufficient PS savings to cover the P3,000 and further said that they will collect available PS funds and share to all.
Because of the said process, Sevilla also asked the DepEd personnel to “wait a little longer” as the DepEd is “almost done consolidating all available PS savings from 2019.” Once this process is completed, she assured that DepEd “will download the allotment available to pay for the remaining P3,000.”
In closing, Sevilla reiterated that the grant of the SRI was something unexpected so she asked DepEd employees to appreciate the effort of President Duterte, and cabinet secretaries who approved this incentive, and all DepEd finance officers who will identify funding sources so that the needed balance will be realized the soonest possible time.
Update on PBB 2018. Lastly, Sevilla she is still waiting for PBB 2018 updates from BHROD and promised to post next the update which is on PBB 2018 when she has validated reports alerady. She further said that PBB 2018 is not in the finance strand yet because it doesn’t have funding cover in the existing budget that her office manage. Once DepEd is evaluated ELIGIBLE for PBB pay by the AO25 Task Force, the funds to pay PBB from DBM goes directly to implementing units granted eligibility (by region).