SK chairmen to get P3,000 a month from City Hall

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama announced yesterday that all Sangguniang Kabataan chairmen shall also receive monthly allowance equivalent to that which will be received by the barangay councilmen.

This means that by December, SK Chairmen will also be entitled to receive P3,000-monthly allowance on the period that will be allowed by the Commission on Audit (COA).

Amidst hesitations of some barangay officials to receive the allowance due to confusion on whether such is allowed under COA rules, Rama said to ease the tension, he will only release the allowance from the month that the Supplemental Budget, which carried the P28-million budget for the allowance, was approved.

He said he will consult first with COA if they are allowed to retroact the allowance to the month of January.

“But definitely we will release the allowance to our barangay officials,” Rama said.

He said, though, that those who do not want to receive will not be forced.

“Ihatag gyud na nato pero kung naa’y uban na di ganahan mudawat, alangan naman atong pugson,” Rama said.

He said this after the barangay captain of Tejero expressed hesitation in receiving the allowance because he is unsure if it is allowed by COA.

Tejero Captain Jessilou Cadungog said in a letter to the council that he would rather prefer projects for his constituents.

Barangay officials met with the mayor yesterday morning and discussed, among other things, the manner by which the allowance will be released.

Present in the meeting were department heads and staff members from the Office of the Mayor.

Belinda Navascues, secretary to the mayor, said the mayor’s office hopes the allowance will be released by December.

Barangay officials and the Office of the Accountant agreed that the allowance will be released as a payroll of the City Treasurer’s Office, which means the barangay officials will go to City Hall to claim their allowance.

The release will be done by batch. Barangay officials prefer to claim these personally at City Hall because it will take some time if individual checks will be issued.

Andrew Borres, head of the Barangay Affairs Unit, said they are only awaiting the executive order from the mayor which will give the go signal for the release.

Each barangay captain is expected to receive P5,000 allowance per month while the councilmen and SK chairmen will receive P3,000 allowance each, per month.

There are 80 barangay captains, 560 councilmen and 80 SK chairmen in Cebu City. Navascues said that as to the allowance of SK councilors, the Office of the Mayor is still working on it.

Cebu City SK Federation President John Philip Po said that the allowance for SK chiefs will be of great help. But he encouraged SK chiefs to share this blessing to their councilors. (FREEMAN)