Officials of Mandaue City are asking the Commission on Audit (COA) Central Office to reconsider the disallowance of P36 million worth of bonuses released for job order employees.
COA earlier asked them to refund the amount because the grant of Performance Enhancement Incentive (PEI) was deemed illegal.
Mayor Jonas Cortes, Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede and councilors signed the petition for review addressed to the COA Central Office in Quezon City after COA-7 Regional Director Alicia Malquisto denied their appeal for lack of merit.
They asked COA’s higher office to determine whether the cash release was indeed without proper authority and whether city officials must refund the amount.
COA-7 cited a circular in the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) but according to Mandaue City Legal Officer Giovanni Tianero, the circular did not expressly state that the PEI shall be granted only to government personnel.
“Nowhere in the circular was that expressly stated,” Tianero said.
Even if it’s true that job order workers are excluded from coverage, he said the circular did not exclude or prevent the grant of incentives to them through other legal means such as an ordinance or a resolution.
“There is nothing repugnant in expanding certain benefits provided by law, as long as the expansion is supported by appropriate authority and does not violate an existing prohibition,” Tianero added.
He said even COA and the tourism department have job order personnel receiving yearend incentives.
He said the grant of the amount of P4,000 was reasonable and within the power of Mandaue City.
Mandaue City has a population of about 338,000 being served by 558 regular government employees in Mandaue City, he said.
Ma. Ethyl Magallanes, a worker, was dismayed over the news that they have to return the PEI they received in 2013.
She and other workers in the clean and green program received P3,000 PEI.
Arnold Malig-on, a traffic enforcer, received P6,000 since 2010.
“We have a low salary and hazardous tasks. It’s only right that we receive such bonus,” he said.