Cebu City employees to receive P35k Charter Day bonus, but….

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

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Hall employees will have to wait a little longer for the release of the P35, 000 Charter Day bonus that was promised to them.

In a press conference on Monday, Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said that the bonus will be released after Supplemental Budget (SB) 1 is approved by the City Council since the incentive will be funded from the budget request.

SB1 worth P635 million includes the P180 million allocation for the bonus and another P14.6 million to fund activities relating to the city’s Charter Day celebration on February 24.

READ: Charter Day bonus: Cebu City Hall employees may receive P25,000

“We’ll need a Cebu City Council resolution [which] will be used as a basis for our payroll. So, if dili na nila mahatag og sayo-sayo, madugay sad ang amoang pag-release sa maong bonus (if that is not passed right away, there will also be delays in the release of the bonus),” Garcia said.

Garcia earlier announced the release of P25, 000 as this year’s Charter Day bonus to the city’s 1,300 regular and 2,900 casual employees. Meanwhile, the 3,000 job orders workers will receive P5,000 each.  The incentive was a repeat of the amount that was released last year.

READ: Cebu City Hall move to SRP: Garcia eyes P500M budget

But Council Members later on decided to increase the incentive for regular and casual employees to P35, 000.

“I’m very happy and thankful for the increase from the City Council and we just have to hurdle the procedures [so] that mahatag na nato ang bonus sa atong mga empleyado up to P35,000 (we will already be able to release the bonus of the up to P35, 000 to our employees),” Garcia said.

Charter Day bonus

During the City Council’s session last February 12, Councilor Noel Wenceslao inquired about the possibility of granting more than P25, 000 as Charter Day bonus.

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

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera referred to a resolution from April Jane Orquiza, the chairperson of the City’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence, which recommended the release of “at least P25,000” for this year’s Charter Day bonus.

“So it means [that they are] requesting the City Council that if ever we grant this particular cash incentive, it should not be less than P25,000,” she said.

Pesquera then suggested for the legislative body to consider increasing the amount to P35, 000; P40, 000 or even P50, 000 as a means of showing the city’s generosity to its employees.

READ: Charter day bonus, gratuity pay to be released to Cebu City employees this week

On the motion of Councilor Philip Zafra, Council members unanimously agreed to increase the incentive to P35, 000.

Supplemental Budget 1

However, Garcia explained that while the amount was already agreed upon, the release of the Charter Day bonus is not outright.

The executive department will have to wait for the approval of SB 1, which they will use as the source for the incentive.

Asked if the coming elections was a factor in increasing the amount to be released, Garcia admitted that it was.

“We thank the elections, that’s one [reason]. But seriously, in matters where we share the same opinion, for example, giving what is best for the employees, I am very happy nga on the same page mi anang dapita. On the same wavelength mi dinhang dapita.”

“Hinaot pa unta nga dili election year, ingon ana lang gihapon atong pag treat sa atong employees,” he added.

(I just hope that we will continue to treat our employees the same way even if it is no longer an election year.)

Election year

Garcia also mentioned of the city’s generosity during a message that he delivered after the flag-raising ceremony at Plaza Sugbo on Monday morning.

“Kamong mga empleyado, magpasalamat gyud mo, kay karong panahona, ting election. Ambot ngano nga maayo nalang ni nga balita. Og di pa election, ambot ba kaha’g mahitabo ba ni,” Garcia said.

(City Hall employees should be grateful for the coming election.  This [the increase in Charter Day bonus] is a very good news.  If it weren’t for the election season, I can’t be certain if this will even happen.)