Margot questions release of terminal benefits

HOW did former Cebu City councilors Jose Daluz III and Eduardo Rama Jr. receive terminal leave benefits totaling P1.5 million from the city government when there was no identified source for it in the first place?

“(I raised concern) because I saw it and I was wondering how it happened because that was part of the controversial SB (supplemental budget) 1 of 2015 which was not approved by the Council,” Acting Cebu City Mayor Margot Osmeña said yesterday.

One item in the SB 1 was a P5 million outlay for terminal leave benefits of City Hall employees.

Osmeña said 11 employees would benefit from the terminal leave.

The top three are General Services Office chief Engr. Dionisio Gualiza (P1.89 million), Daluz (P700,000) and Rama (P810,464).

“So for the three of them that is already three and a half million. The SB 1 was not approved. But then I found out recently that Daluz and Rama were able to get their terminal leave benefits last March and April, respectively, so I’m trying to find out where it was charged,” she said.

Osmeña said if these benefits were charged to a reenacted budget which the city is operating on right now, it is considered a lump sum appropriation and it should have passed the Council’s scrutiny.

“Obviously it did not (pass through the Council),” Osmeña said.

City Budget officer Marietta Gumia confirmed that the city released the terminal leave benefits of Daluz and Rama since they’ve complied with all the clearances needed.

Clearances include those from City Accounting Office, General Services Office and City Budget Office, among others. Gumia said the terminal leave benefits of Daluz and Rama were part of the Annual Budget (AB) this year.

But because Rama’s terminal leave was processed on April 8 when the Council declared “inoperative the annual budget” for 2016, it was charged in the 2015 reenacted budget.

Daluz’s terminal leave was processed last March 3 before the declaration of the 2016 budget as inoperative.

“For Rama it was part of the 2016 annual budget. When it reached the accounting department there was an adjustment of the amount from P784,000 to P810,000. It was entered in the reenacted budget,” she said.

Daluz also confirmed that he received P700,000 terminal leave benefit early this year.