Angeles City mayor finally grants P5,000 bonus

ANGELES CITY — This city’s mayor has announced the granting of P5,000 bonus to each of City Hall’s 1,230 permanent, contractual and casual employees this Christmas, defusing their long-standing conflict over the bonus issue.

Mayor Carmelo Lazatin has more in store. He said he has allocated some P200,000 from his personal funds as incentives for 17 model employees and prizes for games during the City Hall’s Christmas party this week.

The mayor’s office is also reportedly preparing gift packages for all employees.

Lazatin’s change of heart toward the employees, mostly belonging to the Association of Government Employees for a New and Dynamic Angeles (Agenda), came amid reports that he has abandoned his plan to run for congressman and would instead seek re-election.

This, after the Senate approved on second reading last Wednesday a bill detaching Mabalacat and Magalang towns from Angeles City to form a new congressional district.

During his three terms as congressman up to 1996, his got most of his votes from the two municipalities.

In two occasions this year, City Hall operations were paralyzed for days when Agenda members held work stoppages to demand the release of their unpaid P5,000 Christmas bonus last year, which Lazatin promised them, among other incentives.

Lazatin, however, earlier said there were no funds for the bonuses. For its part, the Department of Budget and Management said the city government was not obligated to pay the bonuses.

However, Lazatin said city treasurer Juliete Quinsaat has now determined there are enough funds for the P5,000 bonus this Christmas. He said he has informed Agenda president Isabelita Ruiz about this.

Lazatin said Agenda leaders have agreed that the P5,000 bonus be given in two tranches — P3,000 this month, and the balance after some P4.75 million is allocated from the supplemental budget for the purpose.

He has asked assistant budget officer Corazon Ayson to earmark some P1.4 million from the savings of various city government departments to augment the funds needed for the bonuses.

He said Malacañang and the budget department have issued guidelines on the granting of bonuses this Christmas.

"I have always stressed that there should be no problem in the granting of bonuses. All I want is that proper procedures be adhered to in the allocation of funds for bonuses. Now that we have guidelines issued by Malacañang on the granting of bonuses and we have more than enough savings, we can give the bonuses," he said. — With Ric Sapnu