UP increases economic benefits for regular employees – Starting January 2024, regular employees of the University of the Philippines (UP) will get an additional P1,500 to the total amount of annual economic benefits currently received. Specifically, the Annual Incentive Grant or AIG will be increased from P13,700 to P14,000; the Christmas Grocery Allowance, from P8,400 to P9,000; and the Rice Subsidy, from P9,400 to P10,000, thereby, raising from P31,500 to P33,000 the total amount of benefits that UP’s qualified academic and non-academic employees will be entitled to receive annually.
The UP Board of Regents (BOR), the highest governing body of the University, approved the proposed adjustments at its 1384th meeting held on October 26 at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. The BOR took into account the fact that said benefits were included in the past Collective Negotiation Agreements (CNAs) between the University and its two employees’ associations: the All UP Academic Employees Union (AUPAEU) and the All UP Workers Union (AUPWU), and that the last time these benefits were increased was way back in April 2019.
The University and the two unions had already executed new CNAs in 2020 and 2021, with the affirmation of providing all benefits previously authorized by the BOR, recognizing the principle of non-diminution of benefits, as well as the sole power of the Board, pursuant to the UP Charter, to adjust such benefits from time to time, subject to the accomplishment of the University’s mission, applicable laws and regulations, and availability of funds. Furthermore, the adjustments on Rice Subsidy and Christmas Grocery serve as welfare measures to alleviate the impact of inflation on employees.
The estimated total amount of additional funding required for the increase is P21.477 million per year; and this will be sourced from the Revolving Fund, as the case may be, of the University’s constituent units.
