Pays to be single! Filipino single staff get bonuses

This Valentine’s Day, how much is your relationship worth? No really, exactly how much? Because employees of the town hall in one city in the Philippines are getting bonus pay for being single on Valentine’s Day. The incentive comes as a thank you from Mayor Matt Florido, a lifelong bachelor himself, who’s giving extra salary to single staff members of the General Luna Town Hall in Quezon province.

The mayor, who says he has been single “since birth,” is offering three times the normal daily wage to staff members who have been single for more than five years. Other single staff will receive double pay or a paid day off. The payments will be made at a Valentine’s Day party for all staff, and activities will include dating games.

Florido said that the payments are an acknowledgement of the extra hours that single staff members work and a recognition that they may not receive gifts or attention on Valentine’s Day.

“On Valentine’s Day, no one will give them chocolates, flowers… so we thought of giving them this kind of incentive so they can also feel someone cares for them, someone loves them.”

This is the third year that Florido has made the payments, which he funds himself. Of the 289 town hall employees, 37 qualified for the compensation. That totals about 28,000 pesos – about 17,300 baht – out of his pocket for the gesture.

Single staffers receive the bonus only after a vetting process that asked questions about their relationship histories. The eldest recipient of the payment was 64. Florido said that the money was also a way of acknowledging the demands that are placed on single staff members to work extra hours when necessary.

“They have light responsibilities at home so every time we need [someone] to work overtime, when we have relief operations, or lose sleep to serve the town, we can always count on them.”

Florido says that staff members who are already in relationships do not object to the payments. He believes they understand what single people are going through. The mayor hopes that the payments and the Valentine’s Day party will provide an opportunity for single staff members to meet each other.

“Who knows, they might end up getting together. Maybe they are already hitting on each other.”