Mayor rejects monthly release of honorarium

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Mayor Michael Rama turned down the request of the City Council for the monthly release of the barangay officials’ additional honorarium from the city government.

Rama wanted to release the honorarium on quarterly basis and signed an Executive Order No. 13-5 last March 27. A copy of the order was sent to the Office of the President in Malacañang.

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete also furnished the City Council a copy of the executive order.

Section 4 of the mayor’s executive order provides that the release of the additional honorarium to the barangay officials be processed on a quarterly basis and subject to accounting rules and procedures.

But if there is enough budget, the mayor can still release the additional honorarium to barangay officials.

Under the existing guideline, the city will provide a monthly honorarium of P5,000 for each barangay captain, P3,000 for councilman and P2,000 for barangay secretary and treasurer.

The council earlier approved the resolution of Association of Barangay Council (ABC) requesting the mayor to release on monthly basis the honorarium of the barangay officials.

Poblete said it’s Rama who will decide when the additional honorarium will be released because the mayor knows about the preparation of documents and the needed funds.

Every month the city is spending over P2.6 million for the honorarium of barangay officials.

The city has 80 barangay captains, 560 councilmen, 80 Sangguniang Kabataan chairmen and 160 secretaries and treasurers.  (FREEMAN)