Bontoc, Mountain Province – The Bontoc Municipal Government, under the leadership of Mayor Franklin Odsey, is the only Local Government Unit (LGU) in the entire Cordillera Region qualified for the Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) granted by the national government.
On May 19, 2021, OIC Regional Director Araceli San Jose of the Department of the Interior and Local Government – Cordillera Administrative Region (DILG-CAR) issued a memorandum furnishing the concerned City Directors and Provincial Directors with the list of LGUs eligible for the grant of PBB for Fiscal Year 2020 and to be given this year 2021.
A total of 486 Municipal LGUs, City Governments, and Provincial Local Government Units (PLGUs) in the entire Philippines have submitted their Letters of Intention (LOIs) to participate in the grant of PBB for Fiscal Year 2020. However, only 209 have passed the assessment and validation. In the entire Philippines, CAR is the only region with just one qualifier — the Municipal Local Government Unit (MLGU) of Bontoc.
In Mountain Province and the Cordillera region, a total of 24 MLGUs, City Governments, and PLGUs have submitted their LOIs. However, only Bontoc passed the required standards with flying colors.
The Bontoc LGU is a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Awardee, which is one of the highest awards given by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to LGUs which recorded exemplary performance in government service. The municipality of Bontoc passed the seven areas for the award, namely: Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, Peace and Order; Business Friendliness and Competitiveness; Environmental Management; and Tourism, Culture, and the Arts. Under the leadership of 3rd termer Mayor Odsey, the municipality of Bontoc has passed the test of good governance for three consecutive years since 2017, and is the lone awardee in Mountain Province for the years 2018 and 2019.
Also, Bontoc LGU was able to submit the Certificate of Compliance for RA 11032 (Anti –Red Tape Act); has a fully functional Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS) as required by the Civil Service Commission, and was able to satisfy the requirements of the Commission on Audit (COA).
Aside from passing the standards set for the PBB, the municipality of Bontoc has also received various national awards in the previous years. The Bontoc Municipal Government was the only municipal LGU in the Philippines that was adjudged Hall of Famer in the Most Outstanding Accounting Office given by the Association of Government Accountants of the Philippines (AGAP) in 2019. Along with the Accounting Offices of the Provincial Government of Albay and City Government of Danao, Cebu, Bontoc LGU was awarded for three consecutive years from 2016, 2017, and 2018. Bontoc was also awarded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) the Seal of Child-Friendly Municipality for three years in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Mayor Odsey remarked that this is the result of collaborative efforts of all municipal offices/ departments and partner stakeholders in the delivery of services to the people, as well as participatory governance.
He mentioned that all the undertakings of the municipal government are anchored on his administration’s vision of “ “BONTOC ON THE RISE” which encompasses his five major programs namely: People-centered Service; Disaster Preparedness and Resiliency; Youth Development; Shared Prosperity; and Sustainability and Health.
With this, the mayor is hopeful that the PBB would serve as an inspiration and a challenge to all the Bontoc LGU officials and employees to always strive for excellence in public service as exemplary performance is rewarded.
According to Municipal Budget Officer Aida Lingbanan, this is the second time that Bontoc LGU has been granted the PBB. In 2020, the Bontoc Municipal Government is the only LGU in Mountain Province and only one among four municipal governments in the entire Cordillera region that was granted the PBB for FY 2019.
Lingbanan said that like last year, the amount an employee would receive depends on his or her Office Performance Commitment and Review (OPCR) accomplishment rating for the past two rating periods in 2020.
She elaborated that the Bontoc LGU did not only pass the prescribed regulatory requirements which are mandatory, but has also managed to meet the expectations of the public through efficient and effective implementation of programs, projects, and activities.
Lingbanan remarked that this reflects the exemplary leadership of the present administration as the Local Chief Executive and the Sangguniang Bayan have always been supportive in all undertakings of offices/ departments.
The PBB is a top-up bonus that is given to employees based on their performance and contributions to the accomplishment of their department’s overall targets and commitments. It was first introduced in 2012 by the administration of then President Benigno Aquino III to encourage and reward exemplary performance among public servants. This bonus is different from existing bonuses in government which are given to employees across the board, regardless of their performance such as the Mid–year and Year-end Bonuses, and Collective Negotiation Agreement (CNA) bonus which have also been given to the Bontoc LGU officials and employees in the past years. // Alpine L. Killa, Bontoc- LGU