Archival, Osmeña told: Stop finger-pointing

CEBU, Philippines — The chairman of the committee on budget and finance in the Cebu City Council has urged both Mayor Nestor Archival and Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña to stop the blame game on the delay in the salaries of job order employees.

Councilor Dave Tumulak reminded the two top officials of the city that the council’s role in processing manpower requests is strictly procedural and governed by law and auditing regulations.

“For both of them, the vice mayor and then the mayor, there’s no time of pointing fingers. This is our mandate to serve the City of Cebu. And besides, we are just following basic procedure,” he told reporters yesterday.

He stressed that manpower endorsements are required under Section 12 of City Ordinance No. 2795, the Annual Budget for Calendar Year 2026, to ensure that requests are aligned with appropriated funds.

According to Tumulak, referrals to the City Council allow for proper evaluation of project proposals, prevent redundancy and overhiring of JO personnel, and promote fiscal prudence in the use of public funds. He noted that the 2026 budget was declared operative in its entirety by the Department of Budget on Dec. 2, 2025.

Tumulak also pointed out that salary delays involving JO employees are not unprecedented in Cebu City.

“This is not the first time in the City of Cebu nga ma delayed ang sweldo sa atong mga job order employees, even before because we are just following the rules, procedures, accounting procedures, auditing procedures sa Commission on Audit and the Budget Office,” Tumulak said.

He added that the situation could have been avoided had payroll personnel been given clearer guidance, describing the problem as manageable if instructions had been properly communicated.

Tumulak acknowledged that Archival’s first year in office may have contributed to the delays, citing personnel changes and adjustments in the executive branch.

“I know and I understand that this is the first year of our mayor, he has the right to choose who among ang payroll makers kay mga bag o man gud ni sila, makasabot sab ta. So, na delayed siguro kay naay mga bag o, daghang usab usab diha sa Office of the Mayor, especially on the choose of manpower kung kinsay mga personnel whom to be part of the job orders,” he said.

He also outlined the lengthy process involved in manpower endorsements, illustrating how bureaucracy can slow the release of salaries.

One manpower request covering the period from January to December, for instance, was approved by the mayor and endorsed to the Sangguniang Panlungsod Secretariat on February 3. It was received by the Budget Committee the same day, reported out on February 16, forwarded to Vice Mayor Osmeña on February 25, signed on March 13, and only then processed by the Budget Office and City Treasurer’s Office, a procedure that took another one to two weeks.

Tumulak explained that delays often originate at the department level, where revisions involving salaries, employee names, or appointment periods require corrections before endorsement. Such adjustments, he said, are necessary to comply with budgetary rules and avoid audit findings from the Commission on Audit.

The issue has worsened in recent weeks, with nearly 1,000 JO and project-based workers reportedly affected by delayed salary releases.

Vice Mayor Osmeña previously placed responsibility on City Administrator Albert Tan, saying payroll processing falls under his office. He lamented that many workers have struggled financially because salaries covering the period from October 2025 to March 2026 remain unpaid.

Calling the situation an embarrassment to the city government, Osmeña filed a resolution urging JO and project-based personnel to submit their documents directly to his office. He also pledged to share his own salary with affected employees.

Archival, however, maintained that the delays are not due to a lack of funds but rather procedural bottlenecks. He explained that payroll processing requires council approval through resolutions and committee reports, a process that can take months to complete.

“The money is there. Of course the money is there, but ‘questionable’ because there is a resolution or something like part of the amendments sa budget nga everytime, that there is a job order, mubalik man sa council. So inig balik sa council, lisod lisuron nila. Ibalik pa sa committee report… it will take months,” Archival said.

He added that JO workers must first submit accomplishment reports before payrolls can be processed.

For Tumulak, the issue remains straightforward--- the council’s role is procedural, not political.

He reiterated that “there’s no time of pointing fingers,” emphasizing that while government rules and regulations must be observed, workers should not be forced to wait for salaries they depend on for their daily needs.

Tumulak underscored the need for stronger coordination among the Mayor’s Office, payroll personnel, and the City Council to ensure that JO employees are not caught in bureaucratic delays while compliance with budgetary and auditing requirements is maintained. (CEBU NEWS)