Rama mulls Charter Day bonus

Department heads told not to be afraid of council

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday advised Cebu City budget officer Nelfa Briones to find out whether the city has funds to give as bonus to each of the 5,000 city officials and employees in line with the Charter Day celebration.

The mayor said he is willing to grant bonuses to all city officials and employees but he did not say how much.

In last year’s 74th Charter Day celebration of the city, each of the 4,700 city officials and employees were given P10,000 that is why the city spent P47 million and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) questioned such expenditures.

The DBM said the city’s expenses for personnel services, or the salaries and other benefits of the employees, have exceeded the city government’s P904 million budget limit.

When Rama made the announcement that he is willing to grant bonuses to all city officials and employees, most of those who attended the flag-raising ceremony yesterday morning clapped their hands.

“Unya tan-aw nimo mosupak kaha ang City Council nga hatagan og bonus ang mga empleyado nga apil man sila?” said a staff under the mayor’s office. (Do you think the city council would oppose the giving of bonuses to employees when it would also include them?)

A City Hall insider said there are some allotted budgets for certain projects that were not spent last year and the funds for it can be used to fund the granting of the bonus, although it just needs authority from the City Council to realign the budget.

As of yesterday afternoon, the budget office staff were still scanning their documents to find out where they could find the needed P50 million budget for the granting of bonuses if the mayor would decide to give P10,000 to each of the officials and ordinary employees. Meanwhile, Rama told department heads to attend the council’s executive session if their presence is requested.

Rama said department heads must not be afraid to appear before the Cebu City Council since their statements about the implications of a slashed budget were all true.

“They (council) can always do that (invite department heads). However I wish that they are not being demanded, but requested,” Rama said.

The council has called for an executive session where department heads, who have earlier attended a press briefing tackling the accomplishments and 2012 Annual Budget of the office, were invited.

Last week, the council grilled City Health Department Head Dr. Stella Ygoña for allegedly complaining in a press briefing about their slashed budget for medicine and other items under the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses.

Department of Public Services Head Engr. Dionision Gualiza and Public Information Officer Carlo Duga-duga were earlier asked to appear before the council tomorrow.

“There is no question to that. If they wish to learn the truth then let the truth be obvious,” the mayor said.

 Rama added that department heads need to inform the public because the people will surely wonder and ask what will happen to the programs that cannot be pushed through or will have to be limited, like the Operation Tuli of the CHD and the jobs fair of the Department of Manpower Development and Placement.

To recall, the CHD reported that due to the budget cut, only 20 in each barangay of Cebu City can avail of the free circumcision and medicines. The DMDP also complained that from P3 million, their operational budget was reduced to less than P100,000 which DMDP head Fidel Magno said cannot even hold a single jobs fair.

“Unsa man nang’ pag-kabutanga, nakalimtan man na. Pagka-basic ana, pagka-elementary ana. The question will bring us to kinsa man gyud diay ang nag-finalize sa budget?” Rama said. (What kind of appropriations is that? It (basic services) has been forgotten. That is so basic, so elementary. The question will bring us to who really finalized the budget.)

He also defended the Public Information Office which was earlier accused of being used for propaganda.

“They have to be reminded that the name of the office is Public Information Office which means to give information to the public. It’s not called Public Suppression of Information Office,” Rama said.

“So it is just proper that whatever happens in city hall should be reported to the public. Otherwise, PIO doesn’t have to exist,” he added.

Rama said the department heads should not be afraid to face the council. (FREEMAN)