Mike wants to dole out P20,000 ‘calamity aid’

After twin calamities that struck Cebu in October and November, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to give a cash dole out to cheer up the city government’s 4,000 regular and casual employees.

Instead of calling it an”extra cash gift” for Christmas, he’s proposing P20,000 each as “calamity financial assistance.”

The amount will be charged to the P140.3 million Supplemental Budget No. 3 which he submitted last Friday for the City Council to include in its agenda for tomorrow’s session.

But where will the city get the money to fund SB3?

“We have to know if we have actual funds available to pay the assistance,” said City Councilor Margo Osmeña, who heads the budget committee.

The summary of appropriations signed by Rama and budget officer Nelfa Briones cited P64.5 million in savings from “interest expense” of the city’s loan with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) for the implementation of the South Reclamation Project now known as the South Road Properties (SRP).

Another P45.9 million is identified from savings from the city’s “gain/loss on foreign exchange” while the remaining P29.9 million will come from personal services savings.

Councilor Osmeña, however, was skeptical.

“I do not even know whether such an account exists (for interest expense and gain/loss on foreign exchange). Where is this under the city’s General Funds?,” she asked.

Last week, Gov. Hilario Davide III announced the approval of a P20,000 cash gift and a sack of rice for the Capitol’s regular staff, which raised expectations of counterparts in City Hall who look forward to a Christmas bonus.

Councilor Osmena said she wanted to know why this year’s cash gift to employees is called “calamity assistance” when not all employees were affected by the earthquake or the typhoon.

Last year, the Cebu city government released a P12,000 as extra cash gift for its 4,200 regular and casual employees and P10,000 in 2011.

Rama’s P140 million Supplemental Budget NO. 3 will be presented on first reading on Wednesday, the the last regular session of the City Council before they go on Christmas break.

But Osmeña said they may have to hold a budget hearing and special session after Wednesday’s session to work on SB3.

“Whichever will be feasible, this (the calamity financial assistance) will have to be available before Christmas barring any circumstance,” said Rama.

Rama said the City Council would have to answer to employees if they don’t approve the cash aid before going on Christmas break or reduce the P20,000 he’s proposing.

“Mas maayo pa mopuno sila,” he said. (It would be better if they increase the amount.)

OIC City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said job order personnel don’t qualify for the cash assistance because “they do not have an employee-employer relations with the city.”

Members of City Hall’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (Praise) committee passed on December 11 a resolution recommending to Mayor Rama the release of P20, 000 calamity assistance to employees following the October 15 earthquake and the November 8 typhoon Yolanda.

Rama used this as basis for the P61.1 million outlay for the aid in SB3.

The mayor also reintroduced in his SB3 a total of P48 million for allowances of judges and law enforcers, NBI agents, police and firemen assigned in the city and another P6.3 million for the payment of terminal leave benefits to 27 City Hall employees.

The allowances and aid to the judiciary was included in his SB2 but the council opted to forgo the appropriation because of lack of a valid fund source for the purpose.

Rama is also asking P16 million in SB3 to pay for the salaries of Job Order personnel assigned in the city’s garbage disposal program.