SEN. BONG REVILLA SEEKS GRANT OF 13TH MONTH PAY TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTUAL WORKERS

Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. has filed on December 14, 2022 a bill seeking to provide government contractual workers with 13th month pay.

The '13th month pay' is a monetary benefit equivalent to the monthly basic compensation received by an employee, computed pro-rata given to all regular employees pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 851, S. 1975 and the Labor Code of the Philippines.

"Nalalapit na ang Pasko pero marami tayong mga masisipag na empleyado na hindi makakatanggap ng 13th month pay. Yung mga kasamahan nating contractuals at job orders sa gobyerno, walang matatanggap, eh kapwa din naman silang mga lingkod-bayan," the veteran lawmaker lamented.

Senate Bill No. 1621 will make those serving the government under the contract-of-service scheme or job order arrangement who do not usually receive other benefits and allowances accorded to regular government employees eligible for the benefit.

Revilla, who is chairperson of the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation said that government's contractual workers play a vital role in the delivery of public service to the people.

"Ang trabaho nila ay kasing bigat ng trabaho ng mga regular. Walang duda, sila rin ay kasing sipag ng ibang kawani ng gobyerno. Kaya nararapat lamang na bigyan rin natin sila ng benepisyo na natatanggap ng mga regular employees," the solon said.

According to the Inventory of Government Human Resources as of June 30, 2022, there are a total of 2,462,534 workers in the government, and 642,077 or roughly 26% of the total government workforce is comprised of Job Order and Contract of Service (JOCOS) personnel.