Auditors and Malacañang aren’t the only ones waiting for City Hall to explain its release of P20,000 as calamity assistance for each employee and official of the Cebu city government.
When the aid was first approved after the 2013 earthquake and supertyphoon, we questioned the fairness of an across-the-board dole out to public servants in a locality that was spared the brunt of both calamities.
It was north Cebu that was devastated by Yolanda. It was Bohol province that cracked up in the 7.2-magnitude earthquake.
Was everyone in the payroll of City Hall a calamity victim? Many were instead caught up in thanksgiving for the Sto. Niño’s protection of the city.
The issue was revived because a complaint reached the Office of the President.
Yes, the lawyer who filed it is identified with Mayor Mike Rama’s tormentor the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) which enjoys favor with the Liberal Party, the President’s team.
But politics aside, the issue of ladling out a self-serving portion of public funds is still a valid one.
Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, in explaining the rationale, said the City Council approved the budget for this because city employees and officials sacrificed their time, money and effort in helping victims of supertyphoon Yolanda in northern Cebu and parts of Eastern Visayas.
We won’t belittle the contributions of City Hall workers and elected officials, but volunteerism is its own reward. This was the shining example after the 2013 natural disasters.
Those in City Hall who helped in relief and recovery efforts were fulfilling their job descriptions. Going the extra mile is covered by a separate budget for overtime.
Why call it “calamity assistance” to mask the intent of a cash incentive or gift?
Aid is commensurate to a proven need. If it was genuine calamity aid, were beneficiaries required to submit photos or other evidence that their houses were damaged or that they suffered some other way?
A fire victim in Cebu City is given P10,000 only after social workers verify if he or she owns a damaged house or just shares or rents space.
For an amount that’s two times bigger, were Cebu city workers and officials asked to prove they were entitled to the full amount?
Two councilors saw the disconnect – Margot Osmeña, who heads the budget committee, and Leah Japson. They refused on the spot to accept the aid, saying they could not in conscience consider themselves calamity victims.
Others should have taken the cue, if only to recognize a pothole in front of them that could turn into a crater, as it has now.
Here’s what likely happened: The P20,000 cash aid approved in December was the Christmas bonus that City Hall couldn’t give its workers because this would overshoot a 45 percent budget ceiling for personnel spending.
So they found a way to make everyone happy instead of enviously looking at Capitol counterparts ring in the New Year with a P20,000 incentive bonus.
Auditors recently raised a red flag in noting that the outlay for Cebu City was entered in the books as a “donation” which was misleading.
Rama and others couldn’t call a spade a spade.
Now they are in the awkward position of explaining how to justify giving themselves a hefty cash package.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
