New decrees: Rules for second half

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Part of The Republic

Title
New decrees: Rules for second half
Language
English
Year
1976
Rights
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Fulltext
THE REPUBLIC Rules for second half A MAJOR reform in our budgetary process is the recent alignment of the government fiscal year with the calendar year. Previous to this, a lot of confusion and misunderstanding has resulted from a fiscal year that covered six months of one calendar year and six months of another (July to December, and then January to June). Under Presidential Decree No. 904, the public budget will start on January and end in December. This will also streamline the statistics-gathering activities of the government. The budgetary reform became effective this year. Since the budget for January to June 1976 was already programmed last year in Fiscal Year 19751976 budget, the President has decided to fix the amount of budget expenditures for July to December 1976 as equal to half of the FY 1975-1976 budget. In doing so, the President issued provisions in Letter of Implementation No. 41 which would govern the disbursement of the budget. The reader will note that the Letter of Implementation imposes constraints on extravagant use of public funds. This is in line with the austerity policy of the government. In Part I of the Letter, the President is "authorized to use any savings in the appropriations provided in the National Appropriations Act for the Executive Departments for the settlement of .. . obligations” including the following: "^J&lfffhuFttidn of terminal leaves of government employees; payment of hazard pay to officials and employees assigned to dangerous areas; and salary adjustments of officials and employees. The other provisions of Letter of Implementation No. 44 follow. The government manager should find them useful guidelines in the performance of their duties. Part II. - Organizational Changes Section 9. Maximum number of permanent positions in a burea i or office. Except as otherwise provided by law, the maximum number of permanent positions in a bureau or office shall not exceed the number of permanent positions included in the approved staffing patterns and in the itemization of personal services or in the approved special budgets for the said bureau or office. Section 10. Adjustment of appropriations for reorganized agencies and salaries of personnel thereof. The appropriations provided in the National Appropriations Act for agencies to be reorganized in accordance with the approved reorganization plans as well as those to be reorganized pursuant to later decrees issued but not yet implemented are deemed appropriated and shall be available for the agencies as reorganized and approved by the President. The Commissioner of the Budget is hereby authorized to make necessary adjustments in the appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Section. Furthermore, the department head concerned, with the approval of the Commissioner of the Budget, is hereby authorized to make necessary salary adjustment resulting from final selection of personnel to fill the positions in the staffing patterns of reorganized agencies, to make necessary salary adjustments resulting from changes in the staffing patterns authorized by the Commissioner of the Budget, to correct mistakes, discriminations or injustices that may in his opinion, have been committed in the preparation thereof: PROVIDED, That any such adjustments in the staffing patterns of reorganized agencies which have been or may be authorized but not yet reflected in the National Appropriations Act shall be given due course by adjusting the corresponding appropriations herein authorized. Part III. — Compensation Section 11. No salary increase unless specifically authorized. No portion of the appropriations provided in the National Appropriations Act shall be used for payment of salary increases or salary adjustment unless specifically authorized by law, decree or appropriate budget circular; nor shall any appropriation for salaries authorized in the National Appropriations Act, save as otherwise provided by the Classification and Pay Plans, be paid unless the positions have been classified by the Wage and Position Classification Office (WAPCO). Section 13. Prohibition of double allowances or benefits. The provisions in Section 12 notwithstanding, officials and employees already receiving such or similar allowances or benefits granted under previous authorizations shall not be entitled to any increased transportation and/or representation allowances provided therein, unless the total of his existing allowances or benefits is less than the total of the two rates fixed in the proceeding section, in which case he may be entitled only to the diffe ence. Section 14. Consultants’ compensation. Compensation of consultants who are hired by a department, bureau or office, when authorized in their respective appropriations in the National Appropriations Act, shall paid an amount not exceeding Pl2,000 per annum as the aggregate of salaries, fees, honoraria, per diems and allowances, except as may be authorized by the Commissioner of the Budget in accordance with guidelines issued by the President. Section 15. Per diems outside of the Philippines. No per diem in excess of the equivalent of fifty U.S. Dollars shall be paid to any official or employee traveling outside of the Philippines, except as may be approved by the President. Section 16. Uniform and shoes allowance. Appropriations for each department, bureau or office, at such sums as may be necessary, may be used for uniform and shoes Allowance of personnel who are already authorized since Fiscal Year 1974 and such other employees who may hereafter be authorized by the President, at not more than Pl50 each per annum. Savings in the appropriations for each department, bureau or office may be used for this purpose where no amount is specifically appropriated in the National Appropriations Act or at an amount necessary to make the allowance Pl50 if a lesser amount is appropriated. Part IV. - Procurement Section 17. Purchase of locally manufactured equipment, parts, accessories, supplies and materials. All appropriations for the purchase of equipment, supplies and materials authorized in the National Appropriations Act shall be available only for locally manufactured equipment, parts, accessories, medicines and drugs, supplies and materials, except when none is available in the market or when the prices of the locally manufactured article exceed those determined by the Flag Law by fifteen percent Part V — Motor Vehicles Section 19. Officials entitled to government motor transportation. The following officials are entitled to use government motor transportation chargeable against the appropriations authorized for their respective offices, except where otherwise provided in the National Appropriations Act or other special laws or when specifically authorized by the President: (1) The President of the Philippines; (2) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; (3) The Secretaries and Undersecretaries of National Government Departments, and officials of equivalent rank; (4) The Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals; (5) The Ambassadors, Ministers Plenipotentiary and Consuls in Charge of Consulates in their respective stations abroad; and (6) The Chief ,of Staff, the Vice Chief of Staff and the Commanding Generals of the Major Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Section 20. Purchase, use, operation and maintenance of motor transport equipment No appropriation authorized in the National Appropriations Act shall be used for the purchase of automobiles, jeeps, jitneys, station wagons, motorcycles, trucks, launches, speedboats, airplanes and other types of motor transport equipment unless otherwise specifically approved by the President: PROVIDED, That all bureaus and offices with previous authority to purchase such motor transport equipment, including those acquired through donations or gifts from private individuals or organizations, are authorized to use, operate and maintain them for carrying out the official functions and activities of the. agency. Section 21. Proper use of government motor vehicles. The use of government motor vehicles by bureaus and offices shall be authorized only through the issuance for each trip of a serially numbered ticket, duly signed by the Chief or the Administrative officer of the bureau or office concerned. These motor vehicles shall be used strictly for official business, bear government plates only and after office hours kept in the garage provided therefor by the bureau or office to which they belong, except when in use for strictly official business outside office hours. Any violation, of the provisions of this section shall cause withdrawal of the privilege to use motor vehicles from the office or bureau concerned. Section 22. Use of more than one motor vehicle prohibited. With the exception of the President, no government official authorized to use any vehicle operated and maintained from the funds appropriated in the National Appropriations Act shall be allowed to use more than one such motor vehicle except the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who may be allowed to use two motor vehicles. The Chairman, Commission on Audit, shall issue rules and regulations for the proper implementation and enforcement of the provisions for this Section and Section 12, 13, 19 and 21 hereof. Section 23. Limitation in rental of motor vehicles. No appropriations provided in the National Appropriations Act for the Executive Departments shall be used for renting automobiles, jitneys or trucks on the monthly basis nor on the daily basis for a continuous period exceeding fifteen days. Part VI. — Incentives for Economy Section 24. Cost reduction. Subject to the approval of the respective’department heads, every head of the bureau, office or agency shall institute a cost reduction program for his bureau, office or agency for the purpose of reducing cost of operations and shall submit to the Commissioner of the Budget reports on the result of the - implementation thereof. An incentive award not exceeding one month’s salary may be granted to any official or employee whose suggestion for cost reduction has been adopted and shall have actually resulted in cost reduction, payable from the savings resulting therefrom. Part VII. — Budget Accountability and Reports Section 25. Failure to submit reports. - Failure on the part of heads, chief accountants, budget officers, cashiers, disbursing officers, and other responsible officers of departments, bureaus and offices to submit trial balances, financial work plans, special budgets, reports of operations and income, and such other reports as may be necessary and required by the Commissioner of the Budget and/or the Chairman, Commission on Audit shall automatically cause the suspension of the payment of their salaries until they shall have complied with the requirements of the Budget Commission and the Commission on Audit No appropriation authorized in this Decree shall be available to pay the salary of any official or employee who violates the provisions of this section, in addition to any disciplinary action that may be instituted against such official or employee. Part VIII. — Miscellaneous Section 26. Disposition of donations, grants, bequests, gifts or contributions. The provisions of P.D. No. 711 and other laws notwithstanding, donations, grants, bequests, gifts or proceeds therefrom and contributions given in cash by private individuals or entities of foreign governments and institutions shall be used or expended only in accordance with the wishes of, and purposes specified by, the benefactor or donor, subject to the provisions of Section 7-1(4) of C.A. No. 246, as amended.