President Rodrigo Duterte has authorized the grant of gratuity pay for 2019 to job order and contract of service workers in government.

Administrative Order No. 20, which Duterte signed on January 10 but released Thursday, said the one time-gratuity pay will not exceed P3,000 each.

Covered by the AO are all workers whose services are engaged through job order and contract of service, who have rendered a total or an aggregate of at least four months of satisfactory performance of services as stipulated in their respective contracts as of December 15, 2019, and whose contracts are still effective as of the same date.

Those who have rendered less than four months of satisfactory performance of services as stipulated in their respective contracts as of December 15 last year, and whose contracts are still effective as of the same date may also be granted the one-time gratuity pay, on a pro-rata basis, the AO read.

The order shall cover workers whose services are engaged through job order and contract of service by national government agencies, state universities and colleges, government-owned or -controlled corporations, and local water districts.

The funds needed to implement the AO shall come from the respective agencies, which engaged the services of those under job order and contract of service.

In case of deficiency, the agencies could request the Department of Budget and Management for additional funds charged against the identified savings of such agencies, subject to the approval of the President.

The local government units are encouraged to adopt in their respective offices the grant of gratuity pay to workers whose services are engaged through job order and contract of service, utilizing appropriate and available funding sources from their respective local government funds, the AO said.

The order shall take effect immediately. Celerina Monte/DMS