More than 1.8 million government workers started receiving a one-time Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) worth P20,000 starting yesterday, in appreciation of their hard work as Filipino public servants, the Department of Budget and Management said on Friday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 7 December signed Administrative Order 12, which allowed employees working for the executive department to get a one-time SRI at a uniform rate of no more than P20,000.

AO13 also mentioned that the government will provide SRI to civilian workers for national government agencies, the military and police, the Bureau of Corrections, the Philippine Coast Guard and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority. It will also be given to fire and jail workers for the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The DBM said that civilian employees must have regular, contractual or casual jobs in order to be eligible for the SRI.

"This is one way of making them feel that the government acknowledges their good work and efficient performance," Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.

"As the Order notes, the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. recognizes all government employees for their collective and invaluable contribution to the government's continuing efforts in pursuing the objectives, commitments, targets, and deliverables under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the President's 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda," Pangandaman added.

Excluded from the grant of the SRI are "those who engaged without employer-employee relationship and whose compensation are funded from non-Personnel Services appropriations/budgets, such as consultants and experts engaged for a limited period to perform specific activities or services with expected outputs; laborers engaged through job contracts (pakyaw) and those paid on piecework basis; student workers and apprentices; and individuals and groups of people whose services are engaged through job orders, contracts of service or other similarly situated."