Mayors play Santa

Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri ordered yesterday the immediate release of the P19-million fund intended for the 13th month pay and cash gifts of permanent City Hall employees.

Echiverri said that this was his early Christmas gift to honest and hardworking employees of the city government. The mayor will be celebrating his 51st birthday tomorrow.

He said the 2,576 regular employees are set to receive their bonuses next week or before the end of this month.

"We know how hard up our employees are, and we don’t want them to turn to loan sharks just so they can buy their Christmas gifts," Echiverri said.

As early as May, the city government released the P8.4-million cash gift and P15.5-million mid-year bonus of half of the employees’ 13th month pay.

The mayor noted that the early release of bonuses is the government’s way of expressing its appreciation for their contribution that led to increased tax collections, which translated into improved delivery of basic services to residents.

Echiverri said that for the first quarter of this year, the city government was able to collect P937.2 million in taxes making the funds for the project readily available.

In Navotas, the municipal government released some P3 million as early as last week for the 13th month pay of its 716 regular employees.

Gerry Doringo, Mayor Toby Tiangco’s public information officer, said that by the first week of December, the municipal government would also be releasing the employees’ cash gift.

"We want to reward our municipal employees for their performance, for the good fiscal management," Tiangco said.

Tiangco also said the early release of bonuses would enable the employees to avoid the Christmas shopping rush as well as the increase in prices of commodities

In Makati, the city government ordered for the release of more than P162 million for the bonuses of employees early this week.

The amount covers Yuletide cash gifts for some 7,411 workers who started receiving their bonuses last Tuesday.

Mayor Jejomar Binay ordered the release of P162,614,503 from the city’s abundant coffers in an effort to treat city government employees to an early holiday shopping spree.   

The bonuses include incentive pays and rice allowances which amount to P13,740,000; cash gifts worth P39,123,500; and 13th month pay, P45,997,737.48.

"We want to make sure our employees enjoy the coming holidays by helping them avoid the Christmas rush and defray other expenses," Binay said. 

Makati City employees are considered the best compensated workers in the local government service.   

All regular, casual, and contractual employees receive bonuses, with the lowest ranking employee receiving at least P20,000.–Pete Laude, Michael Punongbayan