Cebu City Council OKs cut in promised P35,000 bonus to P20,000 for gov’t workers

Revised bonus amount will still have to be approved by the Executive Department before it will be implemented

JULY 16, 2023: A glimpse at the facade of the Cebu City Hall. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu City Council has given the nod to a revised bonus structure for both casual and regular employees.

Initially proposed at 35,000 pesos, the approved bonus has been adjusted to 20,000 pesos.

READ: Cebu City Hall employees to receive P35,000 Christmas bonus

Cebu City Mayor promises P35,000 bonus

In October, Mayor Michael Rama announced a 35,000-peso Christmas bonus specifically for city hall employees, including both casual and regular staff.

Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia even told CDN Digital that employees could anticipate receiving their bonus by early November, with the latest disbursement expected in December, just in time for Christmas.

READ: Marcos approves service recognition incentive, gratuity pay for government employees

Align with BBM’s P20,000 incentive

However, during the deliberation of the budget on December 13, Cebu City Councilor Noel Wenceslao, the chairman of the committee on budget and finance, revealed that the city council reached a consensus to align the bonus amount with President Marcos’s pronouncement of granting a 20,000-peso incentive to government employees.

Wenceslao also mentioned that job order employees, who were initially slated for a 10,000-peso bonus, will now receive 5,000 pesos.

READ: Incentives worth P20k for qualified gov’t workers mulled

Made it similar with BBM’s national figures

On December 12, President Marcos approved the granting of a P20,000 service recognition incentive to government employees as well as P5,000 gratuity pay for the contract of service (COS) and job order (JO) workers in the government.

“It was a consensus sa councilors. It’s because giparihas na lang [namo] sa pronouncement ni BBM sa national: 20,000 (pesos) for the casual and regular [employees] and 5,000 (pesos) for the job order [employees]. Giparihas namo,” Wenceslao said on Thursday, December 14.

(It was a consensus of the councilors. It’s because we made it the same with the pronouncement of BBM in the national: 20,000 (pesos) for the casual and regular [employees], and 5,000 (pesos) for the job order [employees]. We made it the same.)

ALSO READ: JOs to receive P6,000 gratuity pay if proposal gets Cebu City Council OK

Executive Committee need to OK

The councilor further added that, in addition to aligning with the national directive, the council also aimed for consistency, as they were able to provide P20,000 last year.

“At least makaingon sila na consistent atong pagpanghatag. It’s not more, but it’s not less,” he said.

(At least they can say that we are consistent with what we gave them. It’s not more, but it’s not less.)

Wenceslao added, “[It’s] the ball of the executive [committee] to process the payroll. Hopefully, it will be given before Christmas.

READ: Rama to give Christmas bonus to JO city hall employees

Document not yet received by acting mayor

Meanwhile, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia told CDN Digital that he had not yet received the official document for the supplemental budget, as it was only approved yesterday.

However, he assured that he would promptly sign and approve the bonuses for the employees once it reached his office.

“If it will now come to my office, unya ang instructions ni Mayor Mike kay ipadala man ni, then I will sign it so that it will not be the basis for the release,” Garcia said in an interview on the same day.

However, he added, “But if madugay ni siya og abot sa ako office, unya maabtan na ni Mayor Mike, dili nako makasign sa mao nga supplemental budget ordinance, si Mayor Mike na.”

READ: Cebu City JOs to get P6K Christmas bonus

Three days for ordinance to reach his office

Garcia explained that the process usually takes three days to a week for the ordinance to reach his office.

Apparently, after the approval of the supplemental budget ordinance, it undergoes review by the council secretary and the attesting office, currently overseen by Acting Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros. It is then forwarded to the Mayor’s office for his signature.

Moreover, Garcia said the ordinance would not become official unless signed by the mayor.

“Now, if the document is signed by the three parties, it would be the basis of the release of the bonuses,” he said.

The Acting Mayor assured that he would sign the ordinance for the employees, reiterating, “Thats the bonuses of the employees. And the instruction of the mayor is to expedite the process aron mahatag na dayon.”