Check for job orders' salaries already released

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said that the salaries of job order workers with the Local School Board might have probably been deposited to their respective accounts by now.

Poblete said that the check was released yesterday and brought to the bank after they helped the processor hasten the release of the salaries that cover the working period from December last year to January this year.

The issue on the delay of the salaries of more than 100 job order personnel was raised by Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young during the Special Session for the first Supplemental Budget last Wednesday.

Young said that about 170 job order workers have not received their salaries since December and this must be solved first before they grant Charter Day bonuses to the employees. Upon hearing the report, Mayor Michael Rama immediately tasked Poblete to look into the matter to determine what caused the delay.

“I do not want to hear people not being paid. I told Poblete to go down to the issue,” Rama said.

Just last month, the Office of the Mayor also received complaints from day-care teachers whose salaries were also delayed for almost a year because it was overlooked at the Local School Board’s level.

Poblete said that they have yet to find out what is causing the delay in the Local School Board as other offices that also employ job order workers were able to process the salaries on time.

“Aside from the process itself, maybe it also has something to do with the processor. Next time we should look at the capability of the person assigned to process the payroll,” Poblete said.

He admitted that the general government process is a little complicated because of the “voluminous” requirements that need to be submitted.

What is worse is that the requirements are not uniform with all offices. — (FREEMAN)