COTABATO CITY – Employees of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will receive bonuses from the national government after the region passed the Good Governance Conditions (GCC), the Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman said.

He said ARMM employees who are entitled to the 2014 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) and 2015 Performance Enhancement Incentive (PEI), which would be released this year.

“Hindi lang ang ORG (Office of the Regional Governor) kundi lahat ng ARMM agencies ang pumasa sa performance-based bonus. Ang hinihintay na lang natin ay ang announcement ng Department of Budget and Management, pero definitely qualified na tayo para sa PBB (It is not only the Office of the Regional Governor, which passed the performance-based bonus. We are just waiting for the announcement from the Department of Budget and Management but we are definitely qualified to receive the bonuses),” the governor said.

The PBB system is a merit-based incentive program that recognizes and rewards exemplary performance in government. It is a bonus that is given to employees based on their performance and contributions to the accomplishment of their department’s overall targets and commitments.

Under the system, an employee may receive from P5,000 to as much as P35,000, from the national government, depending on his/her performance, i.e., ‘good’, ‘better’, or ‘best’. Hataman said employees with “good performance must be recognized and encouraged.”

“More than just the cash incentives, since we passed the PBB, we can proudly say we raised the standard in the leadership and administration of ARMM,” Hataman added.

The PEI, on the other hand, will be equivalent to an employee’s one-month salary, but only if an agency, or department, fulfils a number of requirements.

Departments and agencies should have achieved 90% of their targets, of which Hataman said, was complied with by the agencies in the region, specifically with respect to at least two performance indicators.

Agencies should have posted the Transparency Seal and their respective Citizen’s Charter on their websites. If an agency cannot fulfil any of these requirements, its employees will receive a fixed amount of P5,000 as their PEI.

The bonus will cover all civilian personnel occupying regular, contractual and casual positions. However, the bonus will not cover consultants, job orders, and student laborers and apprentices.

Hataman lauded the efforts and hard work by the regional executives, heads of agencies, and the employees for having complied with the requirements even as the attempt was made for the first time in more than two decades of existence of the autonomous regional government.

A total of P30.6 billion has been set aside for PEI, which will be distributed no earlier than June 1, 2015.

ARMM Treasury, Budget Office to get new office

Meanwhile, work is ongoing for the three-storey building that will serve as the joint Office of the Regional Treasury and the Regional Budget and Management Office.

Construction of the P25-million building at the Bangsamoro People’s Complex in Cotabato City started in March. The new structure is expected to be completed within the year.

Governor Hataman, Public Works Secretary Emil Sadain, Treasurer Kanggo Umal, and Budget and Management Director Mylene Macusang led the groundbreaking of the project on December 19, 2014.

The region’s Public Works and Highways department is overseeing the construction of the building. (Bureau of Public Information)

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