JVR washes hands off late pay issue: ‘Blame delay on treasurer’

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Mayor Johnny De los Reyes yesterday said the delay in the release of more than 1,200 job order workers’ salaries can be attributed to the doings of City Treasurer Emma Macuto.

“Blame it on her, not me. The salaries of the job order workers are already allocated every 5th and 20th of the month,” De los Reyes said.

De los Reyes believes politicking could be behind the alleged delay in the release of the salaries.

Macuto is said to be affiliated with the Gullases who are known to be the closest political rivals of De los Reyes.

“I have been receiving information nga iya ning gituyo aron ako pirmi ang ma-blame sa mga workers nga kuno wala na’y kwarta ang syudad mao nga dili ma-sweldohan ang mga trabahante,” De los Reyes said.

According to De los Reyes, there are some workers who have to make promissory notes for the school payments of their children and have to get into loans due to the salary delay.

“Mao diay nga inig tan-aw sa ubang workers nako sa City Hall, mura’g gusto na nila ingkibon akong dunggan kay ako diay ilang gipasanganlan nganong dugay ilang sweldo,” the mayor added.

Macuto, for her part, told the mayor that she wanted the salary of the workers released Tuesday next week as it would take time for the department to have all the money placed in an envelope.

The salaries of job order employees at the City Hall differ as some of them are receiving P275, P300 or P375 a day. Some of them are paid on a daily basis or hired on a piecework or per-task basis.

But De los Reyes told Macuto that salaries should have been released yesterday afternoon and not to wait for next week.

De los Reyes had already asked for an investigation on the matter and planned to make a follow-up with the Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima regarding his position to replace Macuto.

“Gusto gyud nako siya ilisdan and I am planning Ms. Ofelia Oliva to be hired here at Talisay City,” the mayor said.

Last year, De los Reyes wrote to Bureau of Local Government Finance-7 Director Carmelane Tugas to ask for the immediate transfer of Macuto, claiming that the treasurer played politics in the last election.

But Tugas said her office cannot act on his request because of the existence Department Personnel Order No. 335-003 of the Department of Finance.

Under the order, the request for relief, transfer or detail of treasurers and assistant treasurers shall be acted upon only for justifiable reasons and after compliance with the requisites of due process.

The BLGF recognizes the authority of the mayor to exercise administrative supervision over the city treasurer’s office on matters involving tax collection efforts as embodied under Section 470 (b) of the Local Government Code.

But under Section 470 (a) of the code, the power to appoint a treasurer lies with the secretary of DOF through BLGF, as well as the designation of the head of the local treasury department. (FREEMAN)