No cash gifts: Just rice, ham for Cebu City JOs

CEBU, Philippines – While regular and casual employees at the Cebu City Hall will get P30,000 in cash incentives, at least 1,291 job order  workers will not be entitled to similar gifts this Christmas.

JO workers are getting rice and ham instead.

This dismayed some of them, considering that the incentives for regular and casual employees this year is P10,000 more than last year's.

Mateo Suson, a JO worker assigned at the Coastal Management Board for almost three years now, told The FREEMAN he felt sad over the development, but will just respect the government's decision.

“Kami siguro tanan maguol kay wala mi apil sa makadawat og kuwarta. Tinuod, kinahanglanon kaayo nako ang kuwarta labi na karong panahon sa Pasko pero wala man mi mahimo kay job order ra man mi. Wala sad mi katungod mangayo maong mosunod na lang mi ug respetoun sad namo,” Suson said.

Still, he said they will gladly welcome it if "the mayor decides to give them cash gifts this Christmas."

Cresenciana Piscos, a JO worker at the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs, said she would be very happy if some day, JO workers will receive cash incentives during Christmas, adding that a little amount of money would be a great help for them.

“Nindot unta kung naa ug malipay gyud siguro ming mga JO workers if puhon maapil mi pero kahibaw na man sad mi daan ani, so okay ra, expected na man,” Piscos said.

Another dismayed JO worker was Macrina Bas, 67.

“I felt dismayed, that’s it. But we can’t do anything about it but to accept it. I’m very frank actually,” said Bas.

City Administrator Dr. Lucelle Mercado told The FREEMAN that they can’t give cash incentives to JO workers because they do contractual or non-permanent jobs unlike what the regulars and casuals do.

“Dili na puwede sad kay contractual ra man gud sila. Dili man ta makaingon ana. Bisan sa private companies, only the casual and the regular employees will be given cash incentives," Mercado said.

"There are projects nga mahuman og sayo, naa sa'y taas-taas. After sa ilang project nga buhaton, lahi na sad na ilang project so dili sila regular,” she added.

Mercado, however, said some departments are planning to give a certain amount of money to JO workers so the latter will have something more this Christmas, aside from rice and ham.

“I heard mag amot-amot sila, unya wala pa'y sure pila ang amount sa money nga ilang ihatag, basta kay nagplano ang lain-laing departments aron i-share sa mga job order workers ug tungaan na nila aron naa sad sila'y madawat,” said Mercado. (FREEMAN)