The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will now be able to pay for overtime services of its rank and file employees using the agency’s savings.
Customs Commissioner John Phillip Sevilla issued Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 14-2014 on June 23 prescribing guidelines for what constitutes overtime services and how these should be paid.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in April, Sevilla said BOC employees were not being paid overtime because there was no clear order for the provision of such.
Atty. Agaton Teodoro Uvero, Customs Deputy Commissioner for Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group, also earlier noted the situation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport where some BOC staff work as long as 12 hours daily without getting overtime pay.
CMO 14-2014 specifies the units and the personnel authorized to file for overtime pay from January-December 2014.
Qualified are the BOC’s rank and file, or those occupying plantilla positions of division chief and below, and as well as casual employees.
The order defines overtime work as services rendered beyond the eight hours of duty on regular days, as well as services provided on rest days and holidays. BOC employees normally work eight hours a day for five days a week, or a total of 40 hours per week. As a general rule, regular daily work hours are from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Rendition of overtime work will be determined by the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners, Service Directors or District Collectors.
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