2 Lahug BEOs complain over unpaid April honorarium

CEBU, Philippines - Citing political motivations, two Barangay Environmental Officers (BEO) from Lahug alleged that they were removed from the city master list and did not receive their honorarium for the month of April.

Judith Montoya and Panfilo Presbitero wrote a letter clarifying their status as BEOs after they were not given their honorarium for April 2013 along with 300 others which was released on May 31.

“It is, however, to our dismay that we were not included in the payroll for the honorarium of BEOs representing the month of April 2013, which was released by the City Treasurer’s Office on May 31, 2013,” Montoya and Presbitero wrote in their letter.

Attached were their respective daily accomplishment reports countersigned by CESET monitoring officer but did not bear their barangay captain’s signature.

Montoya and Presbitero are both casual city hall employees whose contracts are from January 1 up to June 30.

City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (CESET) in-charge Grace Luardo denied the allegations saying this is only a matter of procedural delays.

“It’s not true that they were dropped from the master list. They were merely dropped from the payroll batch because they lacked one requirement which is the affirmation of the barangay captain. Yes, they were able to submit their accomplishment report but it was not signed by their barangay captain,” Luardo explained saying an accompanying letter of affirmation duly signed by the barangay captain.

The CESET chief said she has been calling Lahug barangay captain Jovito Taborada, Jr. to follow up the affirmation letter but was constantly told he was busy.

“As a matter of procedure, their payroll could not be processed without the affirmation of the barangay captain. We cannot let more than 300 others to suffer the further delay in the releasing of honorarium because of their discrepancies,” she continued to explain.

Luardo said their honorarium payroll will be processed as soon as Taborada signs their affirmation.

Taborada, she added, accordingly told her that both BEOs must personally see him in his office.

Lahug has a total of five BEOs, where three have already received their honorarium.

The CESET chief said it is not only Lahug BEOs that were experiencing delays in their honorarium.

“Parian has also encountered similar problem for the five BEOs so they were not processed together with the majority. But since their barangay captain has already submitted affirmation, the payroll is already moving,” Luardo said.

She noted one BEO from barangay Duljo Fatima ordered terminated by the barangay captain for inefficiency.

Cebu City has a total of 353 BEOs each receiving a monthly honorarium of P4,000. —with Marielle Palaubsanon /MIT