Grant of Hazard Duty Pay to All Officials and Employees of the OP

November 28, 1996

MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 408

AUTHORIZING THE GRANT OF HAZARD DUTY PAY TO ALL OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (PROPER) FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 1996

Pursuant to the provisions of the General Appropriations Act in relation to the National Budget Circular No. 451, series of 1996, all officials and employees of the Office of the President (OP Proper) are hereby authorized to receive Hazard Duty Pay of Six Hundred Pesos (P600.00) monthly each for the period January 1 to December 31, 1996, effective immediately, chargeable against available savings realized from the current operating expenditures of this Office, and subject to limitations provided for under paragraph 8 of the above-cited Circular and pertinent accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

This grant is in consideration of the following occupational risks and hazards to which OP (Proper) officials and employees are exposed:

1. As the seat of state power where the incumbent administration, represented by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, holds office, Malaca√±ang is naturally associated with decisions and policies which may be unpopular at times to some sectors due to strict implementation of rules and regulations. As such, its officials and employees are constantly exposed to various risks and threats from disenchanted and dissatisfied elements/sectors of our society;

2. Employees in the OP perform staff support functions to the President thus, becoming privy to state secrets and/or data which unscrupulous concerned sectors may want to know and secure for their own selfish motives. As a consequence thereof, said employees are always exposed to serious threats endangering not only their lives but also the lives of their families, whether or not they are with the President or in or out of office;

3. Due to the recent fire which razed the Administration Building (now Mabini Hall), OP personnel are temporarily holding office in an old building which is declared as "condemned". Thus, posing danger not only to the life and limb of OP officials and employees but also to visitors who go to the office and conduct business;

4. Exposure to toxic fumes and other chemical gases from various office equipment, such as computers, monitor, photocopying machines, mimeographing machines and scanners;

5. The flash floods that normally occur in Metro Manila and other places which the Office of the Civil Defense has included in their list of Disaster-Prone Area for being flood and earthquake prone.

This Order takes effect immediately. prcd

Manila, November 28, 1996.