The Department of Education (DepEd) announced Friday that it has finally released the delayed Christmas bonuses of its more than half a million teaching and nonteaching personnel, although the bonanza came more than two weeks after Christmas.

According to DepEd, its regional offices have confirmed that the P7,000 of the P10,000 bonus or the Productivity Enhancement Incentive of public school teachers from the Department of Budget and Management had been fully paid out. The agency will soon release the remaining P3,000 from the agency’s savings.

DepEd currently has 554,000 education personnel, majority of them teachers. Thus, the government needed to pay out more than P5 billion for the bonuses of DepEd employees alone.

“As agreed with the Department of Budget and Management, the additional P3,000 bonus of the teachers will be paid as soon as possible,” said Education Secretary Jesli Lapus.

“Of the P1.6 billion we need, P550 million in savings have been released by regional and division offices and schools,” explained Lapus.

“If we have to sacrifice funds allocated for other programmed expenditures to give all our teachers the full benefits due them, we will do it,” he assured, referring to the P1.1 billion balance that the department needs to meet its obligations.

Meanwhile, the cash bonus for teachers in Rodriguez, Rizal amounting to almost P5 million but which was stolen last December 29 is in the process of being replaced.

DepEd through its Region IV-A office is making appropriate arrangements to immediately replace the teachers’ bonus, Lapus said, adding that an investigation is currently being undertaken by the Rizal Police and DepEd about the loss.

“The welfare and benefits of our employees take paramount priority,” Lapus said. “They have stayed committed to the profession and to providing quality education for our children.”

Early last December, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced a P10,000 Christmas bonus for all government employees, with P7,000 to come from the national government and the remaining P3,000 from the savings of the agencies concerned.