Prescribing the Guidelines for the Distribution of Salaries Paid in Cash, Allowances, Overtime Pay, Fringe Benefits, Tax Refunds, Bonuses, and All Other Emoluments Paid in Cash to Officials and Employees of the Court and the Presidential Electoral Tribunal

July 28, 2004

SUPREME COURT ADMINISTRATIVE CIRCULAR NO. 32-04

PRESCRIBING THE GUIDELINES FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF SALARIES PAID IN CASH, ALLOWANCES, OVERTIME PAY, FRINGE BENEFITS, TAX REFUNDS, BONUSES, AND ALL OTHER EMOLUMENTS PAID IN CASH TO OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES OF THE COURT AND THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORAL TRIBUNAL

WHEREAS, some problems affecting the distribution of salaries, allowances and other emoluments paid in cash to officials and employees of the Court and the PET have been brought to the attention of the Chief Justice;

WHEREAS, these problems include instances wherein one's pay envelope is, wittingly or unwittingly, received by or given to, the wrong person thereby resulting to the loss of one's monetary compensation or emolument;

WHEREAS, to avoid the occurrence of these problems and to have an orderly distribution of pay envelopes, it is necessary to prescribe guidelines which will govern the distribution of salaries, allowances, refunds and such other emoluments paid in cash to officials and employees of the Court and the PET;

WHEREFORE, the following guidelines are hereby prescribed for the strict compliance of all concerned, to wit:

1. Except the key officials of the Court composed of the Chief Justice and Associate Justices, the Court Administrator, Deputy Court Administrators and Assistant Court Administrators, the PHILJA Chancellor, PHILJA Vice-Chancellor and PHILJA Executive Secretary, the JBC Members, the Clerk of Court, Assistant Clerk of Court, Division Clerks of Court, Assistant Division Clerks of Court, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs of Offices, and Chief of Services, all officials and employees of the Court and the PET must claim their salaries (if paid in cash), allowances, overtime pay, refunds, bonuses and all other emoluments paid in cash, from the counter of the Cash Division, Fiscal Management and Budget Office. DEHaTC

2. The allowances and all other emoluments of the key officials of the Court shall be delivered to them or to their authorized representatives by the disbursing officers of the Cash Division.

3. Except for the RATA, the release of all emoluments paid in cash shall be within a five (5) working day period, after which the accountable disbursing officer shall close the payroll for liquidation purposes pursuant to existing COA and CSC rules and regulations. An official or employee who fails to claim his/her emolument within the 5-day period may still claim the same through a disbursement voucher to be prepared by the Cash Division. SHAcID

4. The release of the RATA shall be within the month for which it is due, after which the RATA payroll shall be closed for liquidation purposes. If an official fails to claim his/her RATA within the month of release, he/she may likewise claim the same through a disbursement voucher.

5. The Chief of the Cash Division shall post in bulletin boards to be located in strategic places within the Old SC Compound and the New SC Compound, for the guidance and information of all concerned, the specific dates when a particular monetary emolument shall be released and the date when the payroll for such emolument shall be closed.

6. The names of officials and employees whose salaries have been transferred from automatic teller machine (ATM) payroll to cash payroll (such as in cases of leave credits insufficiency), or vice-versa, including the names of officials and employees added in the cash payroll, shall also be posted in the bulletin boards three (3) days before the disbursement of salaries through the ATM.

7. Officials and employees who incur leave without pay, regardless of the amount involved, shall be excluded from the ATM payroll and, instead, shall be paid through cash payroll.

8. The distribution of pay envelopes at the counter of the Cash Division shall be in accordance with the following schedule:

 

Claimants Whose
Surnames Start with the	Time of Disbursement:
Letters:
A to D	8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
E to N	10:01 a.m. - 12:00 noon
O to Z	1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 

 

 Should an official or employee fail to claim his/her pay envelope during the specified schedule of disbursement, he/she may still claim the same from 3:01 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. of the same day. During the last thirty (30) minutes of office hours (4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.), the disbursing officers shall reconcile the unclaimed pay envelopes with the payroll. IcHTAa

9. In order to have an orderly distribution of pay envelopes, claimants must fall in line before the counter of the Cash Division and must be served by the disbursing officer on a first-come, first-served basis.

10. Claimants must (a) show their office identification cards to the disbursing officer, (b) count the contents of his/her pay envelope and (c) acknowledge receipt thereof by signing the payroll. The disbursing officer must see to it that the payroll is properly signed by each claimant.

11. In accordance with existing COA rules and regulations, no disbursing officer shall release the pay envelope of an official or employee to another person, except when such person is an immediate member of the family of the official, or employee concerned duly authorized under a notarized special power of attorney. The special power of attorney must specify its validity date and the monetary emolument for which it is issued. As herein contemplated, the term "immediate member of the family" shall include the spouses, the children whether legitimate or illegitimate, parents and/or brothers or sisters in case of unmarried government official or employee as the case may be. DISHEA

12. Any matter not specifically covered in these guidelines shall be submitted to the Chief, FMBO, through the Chief, Cash Division, for study and recommendation to the Chief Justice.

This Administrative Circular shall take effect upon its issuance.

Issued this 28th day of July 2004.

 

(SGD.) HILARIO G. DAVIDE, JR.Chief Justice