EACH of at least 2,800 employees of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental will receive an additional P25,000 worth of incentives due for release next week.
The Provincial Board, during its regular session Wednesday, unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the release of the Incentive Benefit for Exemplary Service (Ibes) totaling to about P70 million.
The amount is on top of the P55 million worth of initial bonuses approved by the Provincial Board last week. The figure comprised P12,000 collective negotiation agreement (CAN) incentive, P5,000 Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI), and P3,000 anniversary bonus for each employee.
All in all, regular, casual, plantilla-casual and contractual employees will each receive P45,000 in various benefits this year. This is higher than last year’s P40,000.
Second District Board Member Salvador Escalante Jr., chairman of the committee on appropriation, budget, finance, ways and means, said the release of the initial batch of bonus is ongoing while that of the second batch will be completed on or before December 29.
He said the processing of the second batch will start on December 27 since the 26th is still a holiday.
“Employees should be present because they need to personally receive their benefits,” Escalante said, adding that this is the governor’s way of encouraging employees to report on the remaining days of the year.
Development fund
The Provincial Board also approved Wednesday the 20 percent Provincial Development Fund for 2018 amounting to P608 million.
Of the amount, about P215 million will be earmarked as payments for the loans incurred by the province.
The bigger chunk, almost P393 million, is intended as development fund for various projects next year.
Escalante said these projects have yet to be identified based on the province’s annual investment plan, but mostly infrastructures and social development services.
“The allocation for various programs and projects worth almost P393 million will still pass through the Provincial Development Council and SP for specific appropriations,” he added.
Marawi aid
The Provincial Board also approved the P5 million in assistance for the rehabilitation of the war-torn Marawi City. It will be sourced from the province’s disaster fund.
Escalante said they have yet to identify specific “project” to be initiated by the Provincial Government, adding that the mayor of Marawi is set to visit Negros Occidental soon.
"Since Marawi is not a titled land, there is a proposal to relocate the whole city and build a new one which we also need to consider in identifying our project there," he added.
