P1.1 billion earmarked for educational assistance to government employees

President Arroyo has approved the release of P1,000 to every national government worker as a form of educational assistance.

Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin said the money would be available to state workers, including casuals or contractual workers, within the next two or three days.

The total cost of the assistance package is P1.1 billion.

"This (educational assistance) will cover all agencies in the national government including the military, the police and of course, the teachers," Boncodin said.

"When the President announced the ‘Love Bonus’ last February, she said that she would try to augment it for enrollment. This is the answer to that promise," Boncodin said. "Since school enrollments are over, Malacañang is calling it an educational assistance."

Even Cabinet officials and those who are single or do not have children will receive the P1,000 bonus.

Boncodin said employees of government-owned and controlled corporations and government financial institutions may be given similar assistance but the fund should come from their agencies.

Local government units may also choose to extend a similar assistance to their workers but they have to pass their respective ordinances themselves since Mrs. Arroyo cannot direct them to do so.

Boncodin said state workers were given P5,000 last February. But some employees had claimed that they received only P3,000.

Agencies which have granted similar benefits to their employees are excluded from the educational assistance.

The budget chief said some agencies have been given other forms of bonuses since last year so the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has to be fair by giving additional benefits to other state employees.

She said the money came from savings of different government agencies and the DBM, as the repository of all the savings, can distribute the monetary assistance to government workers.