Capitol employees to get P25,000 extra bonus
Employees of the Iloilo provincial government will receive a Productivity Enhancement Incentive of P25,000 each once the Sangguniang Panlalawigan approves the supplemental budget requested by Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. for the purpose.
Defensor said in a press conference he already sent his request to the SP on Wednesday for the P52.5 million supplemental budget.
He said the amount was finally determined during the executive-legislative meeting recently, also attended by the provincial treasurer, budget officer and accountant.
“I don’t want it said that we don’t care for our employees this Christmas season,” the governor said.
Around 2,100 permanent, co-terminus and casual employees will avail of the extra bonus which will be released not later than December 20.
“The consensus was arrived based on the available financial resources,” Defensor said. “We cannot release more than the said amount because we do not want to sacrifice the other priority programs of the provincial government.”
Cash Gift
Meanwhile, more than 8,000 barangay volunteers composed of Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Service Point Officers, Day Care Workers and Barangay Nutrition Scholars will each receive their P2,000 cash gift on December 13, 14 and 15.
The cash gifts will be distributed in designated areas near their localities to spare them from going to the Provincial Capitol.
Only those from towns near Iloilo City like Oton, Zarraga, Pavia, Leganes, Sta. Barbara and New Lucena will get their cash gifts from the Provincial Capitol.
P500-Million Loan
Moreover, Defensor said the P500-million loan the provincial government plans to avail for the upgrading of the 12 district hospitals will be manageable and will not “sacrifice other priority programs and projects of the provincial government.”
Defensor called for an executive-legislative meeting last Wednesday where he presented the proposal to the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
“I presented to the SP members the nature and necessity of the project and I am happy that they are convinced that the hospitals and health services should be given priority by the provincial government,” Defensor said.
The loan package is part of the foreign-assisted program of the national government through the Department of Health under the Municipal Development Fund Office specifically its Health Sector Reform Agenda Support Programme and the Program Lending Loan Package for provincial governments.
The total amount has a grant component of P90 million and is payable in 15 years, the governor said.*
