Starting on May 15, government employees in the Philippines will receive their mid-year bonus 2023, according to an announcement by Amenah Pangandaman, the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). This year’s mid-year bonus is included in the agency-specific allocation under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which is eagerly awaited by fellow government employees, said Pangandaman.

The mid-year bonus is equivalent to one month’s basic pay as of May 15 and will be granted to qualified personnel who have rendered at least a total or aggregate of four months of service from July 1 of the previous year to May 15 of the current year. The personnel must also have obtained a satisfactory performance rating in the preceding rating period or applicable performance appraisal period and must still be in government service as of May 15.

The mid-year bonus will be given to all civilian personnel, including those who are regular, casual, or contractual, appointive or elective, full-time or part-time, existing or hereafter created in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, Constitutional Commissions and other Constitutional offices, state universities and colleges, and government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) covered by the Compensation and Position Classification System, and in local government units. Military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the Department of National Defense and uniformed personnel of various government agencies, including the Philippine National Police, Philippine Public Safety College, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Corrections of the Department of Justice, Philippine Coast Guard of the Department of Transportation, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are also entitled to receive the mid-year bonus.

DBM clarified that the grant of mid-year bonuses for personnel of covered GOCCs will be determined by their respective governing boards, while those for personnel of provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays will be determined by their respective sanggunian (council).

Pangandaman urged all government agencies and offices to ensure the timely release of bonuses to their employees in accordance with existing rules and regulations starting on May 15.

Guidelines on the Grant of the Mid-Year Bonus

(SOURCE: Rules and Regulations for the Grant of the Mid-Year Bonus 2023

5.1 The Mid-Year Bonus equivalent to one (1) month basic pay as of May 15 shall be given to entitled personnel not earlier than May 15 of the current year, subject to the following conditions:

• 5.1.1 Personnel has rendered at least a total or an aggregate of four (4) months of service from July 1 of the immediately preceding year to May 15 of the current year;
• 5.1.2 Personnel remains to be in the government service as of May 15 of the current year; and
• 5.1.3 Personnel has obtained at least a satisfactory performance rating in the immediately preceding rating period, or the applicable performance appraisal period. If there is a need for a shorter period, it shall be at least ninety (90) calendar days or three (3) months, provided that the total or aggregate service under Item 5.1.1 hereof is complied with.

5.2 Those who have rendered a total or an aggregate of less than four (4) months of service from July 1 of the preceding year to May 15 of the current year, and those who are no longer in the service as of the latter date, shall not be entitled to the Mid-Year Bonus.

5.3 The Mid-Year Bonus of personnel hired on part-time service in one or more agencies shall be in direct proportion to the number of hours/days of part-time services rendered.

5.4 The Mid-Year Bonus of those on detail to another government agency shall be paid by the parent agency, while those on secondment shall be paid by the recipient agency.

5.5 The Mid-Year Bonus of personnel who transferred from one agency to another shall be paid by the new agency.

5.6 A compulsory retiree, whose services have been extended, may be granted Mid-Year Bonus, subject to the pertinent provisions of this Circular.

5.7 Those who are formally charged administrative and/or criminal cases which are still pending for resolution, shall be entitled to Mid-Year Bonus until found guilty by final and executory judgment: Provided, that:

• 5.7.1 Those found guilty shall not be entitled to Mid-Year Bonus in the year of finality of the decision. The personnel shall refund the Mid-Year Bonus received for that year.
• 5.7.2 If the penalty imposed is only a reprimand, the personnel concerned shall be entitled to the Mid-Year Bonus.

(SOURCE: Rules and Regulations for the Grant of the Mid-Year Bonus 2023