BARANGAY workers in Cebu City who were unable to receive their allowances since last year may finally be paid this year based on yesterday’s dialogue between City Hall and barangay officials.
The dialogue stemmed from an order by the Ombudsman-Visayas in response to an appeal for assistance from the city’s Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) last week.
Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, executive assistant to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, said they will check on the documents of workers who remain unpaid since last year.
“In 2016, we paid the workers. Our position, and the position of the mayor, is that for 2016, we will be paying all barangay workers. If there were some that were missed out, we will pay them,” he said.
As far as he knows, Fernandez said only Barangay Busay’s workers have not received their allowance from the city for some months in 2016.
City Councilor and ABC President Philip Zafra said there were still other barangays whose workers have not received their allowances from the city as far back as August 2016.
In case there are workers whose allowances for last year were not obligated by the city, Fernandez said it will be included in a supplemental budget to be passed by the executive department within the year.
Barangay workers include barangay tanods, garbage loaders, barangay health workers (BHWs), daycare workers and members of the lupong tagapamayapa.
But from February 2017 onwards, Fernandez said it still remains to be seen if the city will release allowances to barangay workers.
Mayor Osmeña earlier issued a memorandum announcing that starting February 1 this year, the city will no longer give allowances to barangay workers, specifically barangay tanods and garbage loaders due to budget constraints.
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