Last week, two wives of Iloilo Provincial Government employees complained that their husbands did not give them their cash bonuses.

Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. said that the two personally complained to him that they did not benefit from the Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI) amounting to P 35,000 that their husbands received last Friday.

This prompted Defensor to ask the two employees their reasons for not giving their money to their wives.

“I’m reminding the male employees to give your Christmas bonuses directly to your wives, not number two or three,” the governor reiterated after Monday’s flag raising ceremony at the Capitol grounds.

Meanwhile, several wives of those working for the Iloilo City Government also complained the same thing. They added that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has deducted the bonuses to pay off their existing loans.

“Mary”, one of the complainants, and whose husband receives P8,000 monthly, is blaming Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog for allowing the DBM to deduct the loan from her husband’s P30,000 bonus instead of getting it from his basic monthly salary.

“Mary” said she wanted to bring this problem to the mayor but decided to set it aside to avoid any conflict with her husband.

The PEI serves as higher productivity incentive for a government employee that’s given every end of the year.

Meanwhile, a source from the Civil Service Commission-6 (CSC-6), said that a husband who did not share his bonus to his wife has no accountability where the agency is concerned.

“This could be considered as an internal problem between a wife and a husband. It is a husband’s civil obligation to provide for the basic needs of his family, but in a case like this, there can be no administrative case filed against the husband,” the source said.

However, source said that the court can oblige the husband to give his bonus to his wife.*