President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has approved a new one-time bonus for government workers on job contracts (JO) or contracts of service (COS). This bonus, called “gratuity pay,” has been increased from P5,000 to P7,000 for qualified workers.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced the change on Friday. The gratuity pay is meant for workers in government agencies, state universities, government-owned corporations, and local water districts. These workers must have worked on-site and provided actual service to be eligible for the bonus.
To qualify for the maximum P7,000 gratuity, a worker must have been employed for at least four months and performed well according to their contract. If a worker has worked less time, they may still receive a smaller bonus, depending on how many months they worked:
- 3 months but less than 4 months: P6,000
- 2 months but less than 3 months: P5,000
- Less than 2 months: P4,000
The new rule will apply to workers whose contracts are still active as of December 15, 2024.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman expressed her appreciation for President Marcos’ decision. She explained that the gratuity pay had last increased in 2021, when it went from P3,000 to P5,000. She thanked the President for increasing the pay to P7,000, especially since it is close to Christmas and after the country faced several disasters this year.
Secretary Pangandaman also emphasized that this bonus is a way to help government workers, especially COS and JO personnel, who have made significant contributions to the country. “We don’t want them to be empty-handed this Christmas and New Year,” she said.
The same order also allows local governments to give gratuity pay to their workers using funds from their local budgets. Local government councils will decide the details of how these payments will be made.
