President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has formally approved the grant of a Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) for 2025 to all qualified government personnel, a move to acknowledge their “continued hard work, loyalty, and contributions” towards the country’s development goals and the administration’s socioeconomic agenda.
Issued through Administrative Order No. 40 on December 11, the directive grants a one-time SRI of up to PhP20,000 to be paid out to personnel across various branches of the government. Payment of the incentive will commence not earlier than December 15, 2025.
The SRI covers personnel in the Executive branch, including:
Civilian employees of National Government Agencies (NGAs), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), whether holding regular, contractual, or casual positions.
Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) across key government departments, including the:
Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND)
Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) (DILG)
Bureau of Corrections (DOJ)
Philippine Coast Guard (DOTR)
National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (DENR)
AO No. 40 emphasizes the administration’s recognition of the employees’ collective efforts:
“The Administration recognizes all government employees for their collective and invaluable contributions to the government’s continuing efforts in pursuing the objectives, commitments, targets, and deliverables under the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and the President’s 8-Point Socioeconomic Agenda.”
The SRI is charged against available budgets, with the following provisions:
National Government Agencies (NGAs) and MUP: Funds will be sourced from the available 2025 Personnel Services (PS) budget, with Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) available as a secondary source, following budgeting rules.
GOCCs and Local Water Districts (LWDs): The incentive will be taken from their approved 2025 corporate operating budgets. LWDs’ Board of Directors will determine a uniform rate up to PhP20,000.
Other Government Branches: Employees of the Senate, House of Representatives, Judiciary, Office of the Ombudsman, and other constitutional offices with fiscal autonomy may receive up to PhP20,000, subject to the availability of their respective PS budgets.
Local Government Units (LGUs): The grant and amount, not exceeding PhP20,000, will be determined by their respective sanggunians based on financial capacity and adherence to the PS limits under the Local Government Code.
A lower, uniform rate will be provided for qualified employees in agencies that do not have sufficient funds to grant the full PhP20,000.
To qualify for the SRI, personnel must meet the following criteria:
Civilian personnel occupying regular, contractual, or casual positions.
Still in government service as of November 30, 2025.
Rendered at least four months of service as of November 30, 2025. Those who have rendered less will receive a pro-rated SRI.
Have not received any additional year-end benefit in Fiscal Year 2025 over and above those authorized under Republic Act 6686, as amended by RA No. 8441.
This move underscores the President’s commitment to supporting the government workforce as key implementers of his administration’s national agenda.
