Council orders release of delayed JO salaries
CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has passed a resolution seeking to end the recurring delays in the release of salaries for City Hall’s job order workers.
The measure comes after months of unpaid wages that left nearly a thousand workers struggling, with some back pay dating as far back as October 2025.
The resolution, authored by Councilor Harold Kendrick Go, directs the Human Resource Development Office, City Budget Office, City Accountant’s Office, and City Treasurer’s Office to jointly prepare a standardized checklist of requirements for payroll processing.
This checklist, to be incorporated into the Citizen’s Charter, is intended to eliminate inconsistencies and repeated submissions that have slowed down the release of salaries.
It also requires strict adherence by all concerned offices and mandates the immediate designation of replacement personnel whenever the assigned payroll staff is on leave, even for a single day, to prevent disruption.
Go stressed that the delays have caused undue hardship, noting that 956 families were affected by the backlog earlier this year.
“This should not be delayed, even by the government,” he said during council deliberations.
Councilor Sisinio Andales, the council’s Minority Floor Leader, echoed the sentiment, calling the issue one of justice and respect for workers who serve as traffic enforcers, aides, and health staff on the frontlines of city services.
The problem of payroll delays has been a recurring issue in Cebu City.
Earlier reports from the HRDO revealed that departments often failed to submit complete documentation—such as clearances and certificates—on time, resulting in bottlenecks.
The “no appointment, no pay” policy further compounded the problem, as appointments were sometimes filed months after workers had already rendered services.
By institutionalizing a unified checklist and enforcing accountability across offices, the resolution aims to restore fairness and efficiency in the city’s payroll system. (CEBU NEWS)
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