BEOs finally collect delayed honoraria

CEBU, Philippines - After almost three months of waiting, some 254 Barangay Environmental Officers have finally received their two months honoraria.

The City Treasurer’s Office released the money yesterday afternoon three days after they received the payroll of the BEOs for the months of February and March.

The 254 BEOs however did not include Barangays Capitol Site and Sirao because they were not able to pass the requirements on time.

Eris Surban, Cebu City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team Admin Officer, said that they made sure that the honoraria will be released within this week so the city will be able to pay for the efforts of the BEOs who have been very helpful in the enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Ordinance.

BEOs assist the CESET personnel in apprehending violators of City Ordinance 1361 and 2031. When the program started in July 2010, the city only hired BEOs from eight big barangays.

But when the city shut down the sanitary landfill in Barangay Inayawan and implemented the ‘no segregation, no collection’ policy, the need for BEOs intensified in order to penalize those who will violate the new policy.

BEO’s honorarium does not usually take time but it was delayed now because the CESET office had to accommodate an overwhelming number of BEOs this time.

Surban said that some barangays failed to submit the requirements on time while many frequently change their BEOs which require CESET office to also update the masterlist.

He said that captains who changed their BEOs caused them the delay. As per the requirements in the government, the masterlist of the payroll must match with the names in the Authority to Collect that is issued by the Mayor.

Surban appealed to the captains to refrain from frequently changing their BEOs to avoid delays next time.

He said that they will work hard so BEOs will be able to receive their honoraria on time. BEOs receive an honorarium of P2,000 per month. –(FREEMAN)