DepEd Order No. 047, s. 2018: Guidelines on the Grant of Anniversary Bonus

DepEd Order No. 047, s. 2018, dated November 6, 2018 and signed by Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones, sets the guidelines for granting the Anniversary Bonus (AB) to Department of Education officials and employees for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. It explains who qualifies, who is excluded, how much is paid, and how regional offices receive and report the funds.

The Anniversary Bonus is given to government officials and employees during the milestone years of the agency where they work. A milestone year is the agency’s 15th anniversary and every fifth year after that.

On this page 7 sections

Key points

• Legal bases: Administrative Order No. 263 (March 28, 1996), DBM National Budget Circular No. 452 (May 20, 1996), and Administrative Order No. 322 (March 20, 1997).
• DepEd’s founding date: Administrative Order No. 322 identified June 23, 1898 as DepEd’s founding date. This date is the basis for DepEd’s milestone years.
• Amount: Not more than PhP3,000 per qualified employee.
• Service requirement: At least one year of service in DepEd as of June 23 of the milestone year.
• Earliest release: The bonus may be given no earlier than June 23 of the milestone year.
• Once every five years: An employee may receive the AB only once every five years, even after moving from one government agency to another.

Why June 23, 1898

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), through its Chair Dr. Rene R. Escalante in a letter dated December 27, 2017, traced the public education system to three possible starting points:

1. The Royal Decree of Queen Isabella II of Spain on December 20, 1863, which created the Comision Superior de Instruction Primaria.
2. The Bureau of Education of the First Philippine Republic, established on June 23, 1898.
3. The Department of Public Instruction, created by Act No. 74 of the United States Philippine Commission on January 21, 1901.

Of these dates, Administrative Order No. 322, issued by former President Fidel V. Ramos, named June 23, 1898 as DepEd’s founding date. DepEd uses it to determine its milestone years.

Who it covers

The following DepEd personnel are eligible if they have at least one year of service as of the date of the milestone year:

• Full-time or regular employees
• Part-time employees
• Employees with permanent, temporary, or casual status
• Contractual personnel whose work is like that of a regular employee

In all cases, their salaries or wages must be charged against the budget for Personnel Services.

Who is not covered

• Those on absence without leave (AWOL) as of June 23 of the milestone year
• Those no longer in the service as of June 23 of the milestone year
• Officials and employees found guilty of any work-related offense during the five-year interval between milestone years
• Consultants, Contracts of Service, Job Orders, and others in a similar situation

What offices need to do

Office	Responsibility
DepEd Central Office	Holds the AB budget under Administration of Personnel Benefits, as authorized in the FY 2018 General Appropriations Act
Budget Division, Finance Service – Budget and Performance Monitoring (FS-BPM)	Releases funds to regional offices through Sub-Allotment Release Orders (Sub-AROs)
Regional offices	Request Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs) from the DBM office concerned to cover the Sub-AROs
Regional offices	Submit the region’s consolidated estimated funding needs, at PhP3,000 per employee, to the Budget Division, FS-BPM on or before November 9, 2018, using Annex A
Regional offices	Submit a Report on the Payment of Anniversary Bonus, using Annex B, showing any shortfall that remains after using Personnel Services savings

If the released funds are not enough, the shortfall may be charged against the current year’s savings from released Personnel Services allotments, under Item 4.7 of NBC No. 573 (Guidelines on the Release of Funds for FY 2018).

The order directs immediate dissemination and strict compliance.

Full text of DepEd Order No. 047, s. 2018

November 6, 2018

Guidelines on the Grant of Anniversary Bonus

To: Undersecretaries; Assistant Secretaries; Bureau and Service Directors; Regional Directors; Schools Division Superintendents; Public Elementary and Secondary School Heads; All Others Concerned

1. The Department of Education (DepEd) issues the enclosed Guidelines on the Grant of Anniversary Bonus for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 pursuant to the provision of Administrative Order No. 263 dated March 28, 1996 entitled Authorizing the Grant of Anniversary Bonus to Officials and Employees of Government Entities, and the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM’s) National Budget Circular (NBC) No. 452, dated May 20, 1996 entitled Amplifying and Clarifying the Implementation of the Grant of Anniversary Bonus to Officials and Employees of Government Entities.
2. The Anniversary Bonus (AB) is granted to government officials and employees on the occasion of the milestone years of the agency where they are employed. Milestone year is defined as the 15th anniversary of the government agency and every fifth year thereafter.
3. Based on the records of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), as communicated to DepEd by its Chair Dr. Rene R. Escalante in a letter dated December 27, 2017:

“The modern public education system in the Philippines traces its origins from the Royal Decree promulgated by Queen Isabella II of Spain (through the Ministro de Ultramar, Don Jose de la Concha) on December 20, 1863. Said decree provided for the creation of a Comision Superior de Instruction Primaria, a body co-chaired by the Governor-General and the Archbishop of Manila, which exercised administrative oversight over basic education schools across the entire Philippine archipelago. It was later superseded in June 23, 1898 by the Bureau of Education during the short-lived First Philippine Republic, then by the Department of Public Instruction during the American Colonial Period, which was established by virtue of Act No. 74 of the United States Philippine Commission on January 21, 1901.”

4. Of the said dates, Administrative Order No. 322 issued by former President Fidel V. Ramos on March 20, 1997 identified June 23, 1898 as the founding date of DepEd. This serves as basis for determining the milestone year of the Department for the purpose of granting AB to its officials and employees.
5. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

Leonor Magtolis Briones, Secretary

Enclosure: Guidelines on the Grant of Anniversary Bonus

A. Legal bases

1. Administrative Order No. 263, dated March 28, 1996, Authorizing the Grant of Anniversary Bonus to Officials and Employees of Government Entities, and Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM’s) National Budget Circular (NBC) No. 452, dated May 20, 1996, Amplifying and Clarifying the Implementation of the Grant of Anniversary Bonus to Officials and Employees of Government Entities, state that government entities are authorized to celebrate and commemorate anniversaries with the traditional grant of Anniversary Bonus (AB) to their officials and employees, that is, starting from the fifteenth (15th) anniversary of the government agency and every fifth (5th) year thereafter, and Administrative Order No. 322 dated March 20, 1997, Authorizing Certain Government Agencies to Undertake Activities in Preparation for their Centennial Anniversary Celebrations in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

B. Coverage

1. All DepEd personnel who are employed on a full-time or regular, part-time basis or under permanent, temporary or casual status, and contractual personnel whose employment is in the nature of a regular employee, and whose salaries/wages are being charged against the budgetary allocation for Personnel Services, and have rendered at least one (1) year of service as of the date of the milestone year are eligible to the grant of the AB.

C. Exemptions

1. The officials and employees who fall under the following circumstances are not covered by the grant of AB:
   • a. Those who are on absence without leave (AWOL) as of June 23 of the milestone year for which the AB is being paid;
   • b. Those who are no longer in the service as of June 23 of the milestone year;
   • c. Officials and employees who are found guilty of any offense in connection with their work during the 5-year interval between milestone years; and
   • d. Consultants, Contracts of Service, Job Orders, and others similarly situated.

D. Rules and regulations

1. The payment of the AB to the officials and employees of DepEd shall be in the amount not exceeding PhP3,000 per personnel provided that the employee has rendered at least one (1) year of service in the Department as of June 23 of the milestone year.
2. The grant of AB shall be given to qualified officials and employees not earlier than June 23 of the milestone year.
3. Any employee may receive AB only once every five years, regardless of transfers from one government agency to another.

E. Funding source and release of funds

1. The budget allocation for the payment of the AB is lodged in the DepEd-Central Office under the Administration of Personnel Benefits as authorized in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of Fiscal Year 2018.
2. The Budget Division, Finance Service (FS) – Budget and Performance Monitoring (BPM), shall facilitate the release of funds to the respective Regional Offices (ROs) thru the issuance of Sub-Allotment Release Orders (Sub-AROs) for the prompt payment of the AB to qualified DepEd officials and employees.
3. The ROs are responsible for the submission of requests to the DBM Office concerned for the issuance of Notice of Cash Allocations (NCAs) to cover the cash requirement of the Sub-AROs issued by the Budget Division, FS-BPM.
4. Though the funds will already be released by the Budget Division, FS-BPM to the respective ROs thru the issuance of Sub-AROs, the ROs are still required to submit to the Budget Division, FS-BPM on or before November 9, 2018 the consolidated estimated funding the Region needs to cover the payment of the AB to its officials and employees at PhP3,000.00 per employee, using the attached sample format labeled as Annex “A”.
5. In the event that the funds released for payment of the AB are insufficient, the deficiency may be charged against current year’s savings from released allotment for Personnel Services pursuant to Item 4.7 of NBC No. 573, Guidelines on the Release of Funds for FY 2018. A Report on the Payment of Anniversary Bonus shall immediately be submitted to the Budget Division, FS-BPM which shall also reflect any further deficiency after using PS savings, format labeled as Annex “B” is enclosed.

Leonor Magtolis Briones, Secretary

Related reading

• DepEd Guidelines on the Transfer of Teachers from One Station to Another

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