Charter Day bonus for Cebu City gov’t employees ‘still pending’

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

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Charter Day bonus for Cebu City government employees is still subject to deliberation, meaning there is no definite final date yet as to when it will be given.

Councilor Noel Wenceslao, chairman of the Committee on Budget and Finance, has confirmed that Supplemental Budget 1, which includes allocations for the Palarong Pambansa and Charter Bonus, has been signed.

However, he further said that they were currently awaiting its submission for deliberation during the council’s upcoming regular session on March 6.

READ: Cebu City employees ‘may not’ receive Charter Day bonus on Feb 24

Wenceslao explained that the cutoff for all agenda, including proposals, is every Thursday of the week, with the agenda being addressed in the following week’s regular session, held every Wednesday.

“So mao na (that is) they have to submit it tomorrow…the proposal. So once they’ve submitted it, maapil nana siya sa (It will be included in the) agenda then in next Wednesday,” Wenceslao said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Rama said that he had already signed the supplemental budget 1 and hoped that the Local Finance Committee (LFC) would submit the proposal to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for deliberation.

“I have already signed it. The Local Finance (Committee, LFC) must have already submitted the documents to the Sangguniang Panlungsod,” he said in Ingna’ng Mayor program over Sugboanon Channel from Manila via Zoom on February 27.

SB1 will encompass the necessary funds for the city’s transitional housing project, infrastructure requirements for the Palarong Pambansa in July, and other expenditures not included in the approved 2024 Budget.

READ: Charter Day bonus for gov’t employees may be more than P25k

Previously, Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said the reason behind the delay of the submission of the proposal for the Charter Day bonus.

He said that it was because the proposal would be submitted through a supplemental budget which would also include other expenditures apart from that of the bonus.

“What I also know, it will be a supplemental budget that will also include other items not only the Charter Day. Mao bitaw nadugay na kay taas man gud ang (That is why it had taken a long time because it will take a long) process,” Garcia said.

He also added that the exact amount of the bonus for the employees could not be confirmed as it had “not been tackled” yet by the council.