Committee disapproves gratuity benefits of Cebu City barangay officials

A proposed ordinance to grant retirement gratuity benefits to retired barangay officials in Cebu City was turned down by the city council’s committee on laws.

Councilor Sisinio Andales, head of the committee on laws, said that the proposed ordinance by Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia is beyond the powers of the city council to enact.

“Retirement gratuity benefit is not included in the enumerated benefits barangay officials may receive [under the local government code],” he said in his committee report.

At the same time, the committee said the proposal was “selective” since it only seeks to give benefits to elected barangay officials, disregarding other barangay officials and workers.

The financial cost to grant the proposed benefit also “entails additional burden” to the city, the committee added.

Under the proposed ordinance of Garcia, retired barangay councilmen will get an amount equal to P3,000 for every year of service they have rendered. On the other hand, retired barangay captains will get P5,000 for every year of service he or she has rendered in office.

However, the proposed ordinance disqualifies elected barangay officials who have been ordered dismissed from service or those who have previously claimed their retirement gratuity benefit regardless of their number of years in service.

During the council’s regular session last week, some opposition councilors objected to the report of the committee on laws.

Councilor Garcia said Section 393 of the Local Government Code already mandates the granting of allowances and honorarium to other barangay workers like tanods and members of the Lupong Tagapamayapa.

Councilors Garcia, Jocelyn Pesquera, and Phillip Zafra, who is the president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) in Cebu City, objected to the report.

This prompted the council to do a voting; but in an 8-7 vote, the report was approved by the council and formally disapproving Garcia’s proposal.

“I did not expect it to be approved in the first place; Andales’ committee report was based on misapplied legal principles,” Garcia said.