CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government will be spending P5 million for its Christmas party which includes the distribution of rice, ham and incentive allowance to each of the more than 5,000 city officials and employees.
Councilor Lea Ouano-Japson was requested by Veronica Morelos, head of the Human Resource Development Office (HRDO) to sponsor the necessary resolution while Christmas is still three months away.
Morelos said the funds will be taken from the city-sponsored activities account, which is already in the annual budget. The City Council has passed Japson’s resolution.
Japson said out of the P5 million budget, the P1, 750, 000 will be spent for the granting of P350 to each of the officials and employees’ incentive allowance to cover their food, but it will be released to them through payroll.
Another P1, 750, 000 will also be spent to purchase ball hams at P350 each and will be given to every official and employee.
The city will also spend P1 million to buy 5,000 small sacks of rice at five kilos per sack that will be distributed to each of the employees, while P425,000 will be spent to buy various appliances for door prizes and the P75,000 for the payment of the sound system.
Next month, all officials and employees of the Cebu City government will also receive the final half of their 13th month pay and cash gift, although some of the employees said that they have already sold it to loan sharks.
It is already a practice of the city that the last half of the 13th month pay and cash gifts would be released to all officials and employees not later than November 16. — (FREEMAN)