Onerous bonus scheme halted: Palace wants a simpler method

A burdensome incentive system for public servants, particularly for teachers, was ordered suspended for an extensive review and a possible replacement with a simple reward method.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the Results-Based Performance Management System (RBPMS) and Performance-Based Incentive (PBI) System in the government halted due to redundancy issues “that need to be addressed and streamline the systems,” Malacañang said Saturday.

Marcos issued Executive Order 61, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on 3 June, which suspended the implementation of Administrative Order (AO) 25 (series of 2011) and EO 80 (series of 2012), and relevant issuances pending a review.

AO 25 established a unified and integrated RBPMS across all departments and agencies within the executive branch of the government.

EO 80, as amended by EO 201 (series of 2016), meanwhile, adopted a PBI System, consisting of a Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI) and the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB), to motivate efficiency and accountability in the public sector.

Pahirap kay Ma’am, Sir

Lawmakers, however, received complaints against RBPMS.

The scheme has resulted in the loss of benefits and decent salaries among government workers.

Complainants cited the experience of teachers who are often burdened by excessive paperwork to meet criteria for incentives which takes away time for themselves and their families, affecting the quality of their teaching.

In the public education system, RBPMS was derisively termed the “Regulasyong Pahirap kay Ma’am at Sir” (Regulations that burden Ma’am and Sir).

“On top of the regular tasks of checking students’ quizzes, keeping master lists, creating lesson plans and instructional materials, teachers are burdened by the reports they are required to submit,” a legislator added.

Redundant process

The Palace added the issuance of the RBPMS and PBI have been “duplicative” and “redundant” with the government’s internal and external performance audit and evaluation systems.

Both systems lacked a review mechanism leading to the accumulation of rules, regulations, and issuances from the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Harmonization of National Government Performance Monitoring, Information, and Reporting Systems.

“It makes compliance burdensome, bureaucratic, laborious, and time-consuming for government agencies,” Palace further stated.

Under EO 61, Marcos ordered a study of the RBPMS and PBI systems.

“It is imperative to streamline, align and harmonize the RBPMS and PBI System with ease of doing business initiatives, and reform the government performance evaluation process and incentives system towards a more responsive, efficient, agile and competent bureaucracy,” Marcos said in his EO.

The President ordered the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG), which will be chaired by the Budget secretary and co-chaired by the Executive Secretary, with members including the secretaries of Finance and National Economic and Development Authority and the Anti Red-Tape Authority director general.

The TWG shall integrate, streamline, and align the new government performance management system with the government internal audit program and activities under Republic Act 3456 or the Internal Auditing Act, as well as the government quality management systems under AO 161 (s. 2006) and EO 605 (s. 2007).

It is also mandated to submit a comprehensive report on its findings together with its recommendations to the Office of the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, within six months of the EO’s effectivity date.

The TWG is also tasked to submit a transition plan for the grant of PBB for Fiscal Year 2023 within three months from the effectivity of the order.

Malacañang said the streamlining of the RBPMS and PBI systems is in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the Marcos administration’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda, aimed at instituting good governance practices and improving bureaucratic efficiency