By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Employees of the city government of Bacolod and the provincial government of Negros Occidental started receiving their 14th month bonus and P5,000 cash gift last week.
On the part of the capitol employees they may have an additional bonus in the form of Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) incentives this Yuletide season.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz yesterday said that the Provincial Legal Office favorably endorsed on Nov. 16, 2020 the draft of the CNA between the provincial government and the Progressive Alliance of Capitol Employees.
Diaz said this was in response to the appeal of PACE president Renelo Lastierre for the provincial government to grant employees CNA incentives.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier said there will be no additional bonus for capitol employees due to expenses incurred because of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 pandemic.
But the more than 3,000 capitol employees appealed for reconsideration with the governor.
Diaz said Lacson has already signed the endorsement of CNA for deliberations by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan during its regular session this week.
Once approved, Diaz said Lacson will sign it with Lastierre.
Diaz also said that as for the additional bonus, “As a rule, it will not be more than P25,000.”
He added though that it will depend on the availability of funds.
Capitol employees already started receiving since Tuesday their 14th month pay, which is equivalent to their one-month salary, and P5,000 in cash gift.
This was on top of the 13th month pay they received in May this year.
But Diaz said they are still waiting for an order from Malacañang to grant extra bonus for the Capitol employees before the year ends.
Last year, each of the Capitol employees received P60,000 in extra bonus.
On the other hand Bacolod City employees also started receiving their P5,000 cash gift and 13th month pay last week.
Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said that the lowest ranking employee can receive as much as P52,000 with all incentives and bonuses combined, including the amount from the Collective Negotiation Agreement and the Performance-Based Bonus.
He emphasized that the incentive mechanism is a reward to local government employees for good governance and meritorious performance as an LGU last year.
“Some people may think negatively about this as there is still the pandemic, but this is about 2019,” Leonardia said.
Receiving the seal of good governance and as one of the best performing local government unit (city level) in Western Visayas last year authorized the city government to give the performance-based bonus to its employees, the mayor said.
